Shattered
by whohasamonkey
Summary: Discontinued Will Naruto let him come home, or Naruto the least of Sasuke's worries? Some wounds are so deep, you don't even know they exist. ActionAngst MF Pairings so far LeeSaku, NaruHina Please R
1. The Letter

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did there would be a lot more Kakashi. Oh yes a lot more...MUAHAHAHA!!  
  
I apologize ahead of time for my spelling errors. I can't spell to save my own life :

Chapter 1: The Letter

"Why? Why did he leave? Why couldn't I stop him from leaving?" Naruto asked his reflection. He had been standing in his bathroom for ten minutes staring at himself. His face looked tired. He hadn't been sleeping since his return to the village a week ago.

"Why?" Tears were now running down his face.

'He was my best friend and I couldn't save him. How did I not see the darkness that consumed him?' All the memories Naruto had ever had of Sasuke were now being analyzed and dissected. Maybe if he was able to pin point the exact moment he had done Sasuke wrong he would be able to bring him back. Maybe if he had tried harder, or done something different, or said just the right words Sasuke would have never left. But it was all too late now, Sasuke was gone and he might never return. Naruto had lost him, his best friend, his only real friend.

Sakura had been standing behind Naruto for five minutes now. When she walked in she had heard him talking. When she finally found him she noticed he was alone.

'He must have been talking to himself.'

She hadn't seen him in a week. She knew he was avoiding her, and she knew why. He had broken his promise to her. But she knew Naruto; she knew he would never purposely break a promise. She had decided to let him come to her when he was ready, but Tsunade had sent her to deliver a letter to him.

Looking at him now she knew he had been through hell. He wore nothing but his orange pants. Physically he was a shadow of himself. His pants now rested low on his hips, a sign of weight loss. He had a faded scar on the right side of his back. She could see hints of his ribs.

'Has he even eaten since coming back?' Twisting the letter in her hands she made a mental note to make sure he ate before she left. That's when she noticed he was crying.

"Naruto?" she asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Startled, Naruto quickly turned around almost hitting Sakura in the face with his right arm.

"Sakura?"

"Naruto..." She wanted to ask him so many things, and yet she found herself not knowing where to start. So she just stood there staring at him. Naruto lowered his head under her gaze. He couldn't look at her. He had failed her just like he had failed Sasuke. Again he felt the hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto."

"I'm sorry." She barely heard the words. She took hold of his hand and led him to the living room. His hand was cold.

As soon as he sat down on the couch she went to his bedroom. He didn't even notice she was back until he felt the blanket surround his shoulders. He simply started at her feet. She stared at the top of his head. Finally she kneeled in front of him.

"What happened?" There was no malice in her voice. He slowly lifted his gaze to her face. 'She really looks worried.'

"I failed that's what happened." He wasn't ready to talk. He hadn't even told Tsunade what had happened, he let Shikamaru do all the talking. She had tried to get him to talk, but all her efforts were wasted. Talking meant reliving and he wasn't sure if he was strong enough to relive it again.

Sakura saw the internal struggle in his eyes. You didn't have to look too hard to see the pain he was gong through.

"Naruto, I'm not mad at you, no one is. I want to know what happened so I can help you."

"I don't deserve your help."

"Don't say that!" She startled not only Naruto but also herself. She had said that louder then she intended, but she meant it. He had done nothing wrong, and yet here he was punishing himself. It was now her turn to be the strong one.

He looked at her for what seemed like an eternity. 'She cares, she wants to help me. But why?'

"Sakura, why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to help me?"

"You are my teammate, and my friend. That's what friends do. I'm worried about you Naruto."

'A friend. She said she's my friend.' He didn't know all the rules when it came to friends, considering he never had any. He felt a small smile come to his lips.

'He's smiling.' She saw his eyes light up a bit. She knew his eyes would never again hold the same warmth and innocence they did before the mission, but even a little bit of warmth was a good thing. She stood up and sat next to him on the couch, "Tsunade sent me over to give you this."

Naruto looked at the letter. His name was written on the front of it, he immediately recognized the handwriting. 'Sasuke?' He took the letter and walked over to the window the blanket slipped off his shoulders and covered his feet. In his hurry to open the letter he almost ripped it in half.

"Naruto,

I know there is nothing I can do to make you forgive me and I don't expect you to. I know now that I was wrong in what I did. You deserve to understand why I did what I did. As you know Itachi killed my whole clan including my parents. They were dead when I walked in the room. It was horrible, I didn't understand why he did what he did. Even now I don't fully comprehend it. I tried to fight him, tried to stop him and I failed. I ended up running down the street crying only to have him catch up to me. He told me that when I had the same eyes as him I should come before him. He told me that in order for me to get those eyes I had to kill my closest friend. I had to kill you, Naruto. From then on the only thing I could think about was revenge. I had to kill him, he would pay for what he did. I was an avenger. I had the chance to kill you but when it came down to it, I couldn't. I couldn't kill you. You were all I had left. He tried to take everything away from me again, like he did before expect this time he was going to do it by my hand. I see that now, I was a puppet in his little game. I will not become his puppet. I will find my own path now. One day I hope to see you again. When that day comes I will take whatever judgment you decide to pass on me.

Uchiha Sasuke"

Naruto stood there stunned. He now understood why Sasuke had gone down a path of revenge. He wondered what he would have done if Mizuki had killed Iruka, if anyone for that matter killed Iruka. He closed his eyes knowing he would have followed the same path as Sasuke. Naruto was so caught up in his thoughts didn't even notice when he started crying.

"Naruto?" For the second time that night Sakura saw Naruto cry. He turned toward her and held out the letter. 'She deserves to know.' She took the letter and read it quietly. When she finished she looked at Naruto. Her face wet with tears.

"Tell me what happened." For the next half hour he told her everything. From the encounter with the Sound Nin's and Kimimaro to Sasuke trying to kill him. When he finished they simply stood there in silence. The silence was finally broken when Naruto asked, "Do you think he'll really come back?"

"He will. He had the opportunity to kill you and he didn't. You saved him the darkness. It's all up to him now to decide what to do."

"I'll wait for him to come back." Sakura smiled at him and nodded. It was decided they would both wait for his return. The three of them had been through too much to simply let it fall to the wayside. That night she slept in his bed as he slept on the floor next to the bed, neither of them wanted to be alone. Naruto told her about the Kyuubi the next morning. She was curious as to why Sasuke had attacked him on the hospital rooftop. When he told her it was because Itachi had been after him because he was the holder of the Kyuubi. He was afraid she would be scared of him, or think he was a monster. But instead she smiled at him saying, "That explains the endless amount of stamina you have." They both shared a laugh. It was only after he confessed about the demon he held that she noticed the way certain people around the village glared at him and how it affected Naruto. He would go from happy go lucky to sad and depressed whenever someone glared at him or whispered demon at him. She felt she understood him better. All he had ever wanted was to be accepted as Naruto and not the monster he held.

For a few weeks Sakura would go over to Naruto's and sleep in his bed while he slept on the floor. But sleeping on the floor was taking its toll on his back, and neither of them wanted to be alone. They decided it would be best if they just simply moved in together. Naruto's apartment was obviously too small, and Sakura's house was also too small to accommodate another person since she lived with her parents. Sakura suggested they move into Sasuke's house. It was big enough for the two of them, even with Sasuke's stuff still there. Tsunade was a bit hesitant to let them take over the Uchiha's house at first, but with Sakura's persistent nagging and Naruto's death glare she eventually gave in. The first week in the house was spent looking around and arranging furniture. They wanted to preserve it as much as they could, but the house was so empty and unwelcoming. In the end they decorated the place so it was more welcoming. Each had their own room and bathroom, although most of their time was spent either in the living room or the kitchen. Naruto was in charge of cleaning and Sakura was in charge of cooking. It was a nice arrangement since Naruto didn't really cook and Sakura hated to clean.

There were certain things though they refused to change in the house. One of those things was Sasuke's room. They didn't change the arrangement of the room at all. The only time either of them entered the room was to dust or to open a window so it wouldn't get too stuffy. They never looked through his things either. The only other thing they didn't change was the Uchiha symbol that was painted next to the front door. Every couple months Naruto would repaint it, hoping that one-day Sasuke would be able to repaint it himself. It wasn't until the end of their first year living together that they started to train. Moving in, decorating and finally settling in to the place took longer then they both expected.

They both trained, and trained hard. Jiraiya helped Naruto hone his skills. Naruto learned how to better control the Kyuubi chakra as well as use it as a weapon like he did when he fought Sasuke. He also learned some new ninjutsu, although he still favored taijutsu and his Kage Bunshin. Kakashi at the same time taught Sakura all he knew about genjutsu. She truly had a gift for it, learning the techniques quickly as well as being able to use then wisely. Sakura even went as far as to ask Shizume to teach her some healing techniques. Sakura knew she would probably never have to use them on Naruto, with the Kyuubi and all, but she didn't want to be rendered useless in battle due to an injury.

They both continued to do missions, and sometimes Kakashi would join them if he had nothing better to do. Every time they left the village all three of them would keep their eyes and ears open for news of Sasuke, and each time they came up empty. It was almost like he had disappeared.

For three years they waited. Sometimes Sakura could hear Naruto crying in his room whispering for his friend to come back. She knew she was his friend but there was only so much she could do for him. It was Sasuke he needed, it was Sasuke who knew him better then she ever could and it was also him that took away Naruto's innocence. Sometimes it would be Naruto who would hear Sakura crying. It crushed him every time he would hear sob. 'If I had brought him back, if I had kept my promise she wouldn't be crying.' He would often wonder if it would be appropriate to go comfort her, but would always decide against it. His presence just might make it worse. Instead what he would do is let her sleep in and make her breakfast in the morning. He did this whenever he heard her cry, and she would smile brightly at him. It was almost like a routine. Almost. As time passed she cried less and less, where as he would simply go train until the sadness was out of his system. Time changes people, and they were no exception.

She noticed the change in Naruto when he had first come back. His eyes were darker, more mature. He had been forced to mature faster then he wanted. He still laughed and joked around, but he was no longer the loud mouth ninja of before. He completed his missions with such precision that at times Sakura wondered if he was even Naruto. Tsunade summed it up best when she told Sakura, "He has seen things and experienced things that we can't even begin to imagine. He was forced to grow-up, but he still manages to light up a room when he walks in."

Sakura had changed as well. She had finally gotten over her inferiority complex. She knew she could never be as strong or as powerful as Naruto or Sasuke, but she had other talents. She was calm, collective and intelligent. Shikamaru would at times come to her for second opinions whenever he was unsure about a certain mission. He knew that he was smarter then her but sometimes her advice could be so insightful that he would wonder how he didn't see that before. She would just smile and say, "Two heads are better then one."

Naruto and Sakura were currently training in the forest. They always trained in the same clearing where they had tried to get the bells from Kakashi. Currently Sakura was trying out a new genjutsu on Naruto that consisted of making the floor move in waves.

"Sakura-chan, can you drop the genjutsu, I think I'm gonna throw up!"

"Oh, sorry Naruto."

"This is the last time I help you." Naruto fell to his knees trying not to spill his breakfast all over the floor. Sakura sat down next to him and smiled at herself. When she first tried the jutsu she had somehow managed to make the ground appear to be wavy but was not able to get them to move. Sakura spent five minutes laughing at Naruto who had tried walking on a floor he perceived to be wavy. She smiled at the memory and looked over at Naruto who at the moment was a lovely shade of green.

"Oh come on, you know you'd help me again."

"Never again." He lied. He looked up just in time to see an Anbu member walking up to them.

"Naruto, the Hokage wishes to see you." Naruto nodded at the Anbu member. With that the Anbu disappeared leaving Sakura and Naruto once again alone.

"I wonder what Tsunade-obaasan wants?" Naruto got up and dusted his pants.

"I'll wait for you back at the house for lunch, ok?"

"Alright." With that Naruto wobbled away.

I know the letter was weird. I rewrote the damn thing like three times. I have to have it in the story or things won't make sense later on. So, what do you think? Good, bad, should I die a firey death??


	2. Judgement

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. The only thing I own is my computer, and you can't have that. 

Once again I apologize ahead of time for my spelling errors.

mkh2 - I will try and update as often and as soon as possible......please don't hurt me

Aimelss Traveler - thanks for the comment on the letter. I really struggled with it.

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Chapter 2: Judgment

Naruto walked into the Hokage's office without knocking. He never knocked when he went to go visit her. One day it was going to be his office, and who knocks when they enter their own office? Tsunade looked up from her paperwork, "Haven't you ever heard of knocking. What if I was meeting with someone important?"

"You would have locked the door. Besides when was the last time you met with anyone important?" Tsunade looked about read to throw a book at him, Naruto just gave her a devilish smile, 'Works every time."

"So did you call me to simply be graced by my presence or do you actually have a reason?"

"Shut the door and sit down." Her tone was serious and Naruto knew now was not the time to crack jokes. He shut the door and sat down in the chair in front of her desk.

"Have you heard about Anko?" Naruto had heard rumors that she was free, but he didn't really understand what it meant.

"Not really."

"Anko has a curse seal, well actually had a curse seal."

"What do you mean had?"

"Orochimaru is gone."

"What?! When? How?" Tsunade raised her hand silencing Naruto.

"He's dead, it happened a few days ago and we don't know who killed him. All we know is that now Kabuto is in charge of the Hidden Sound now."

"Do you think Kabuto did it?" Tsunade shook her head. Actually she had no idea who could have done it. She could only think of a handful of people powerful enough to kill him and she had already questioned the few who lived in the village. Naruto was also trying to figure out who could have killed Orochimaru when he suddenly looked up at Tsunade, "Wait, Anko doesn't have the curse seal anymore?"

"No, it disappeared. The seal died with him."

"Does that mean that he...." He didn't finish his sentence, but she knew who he was talking about, Sasuke. He was more then likely free as well. Now that subject was on Sasuke it would be easier to tell him the real reason for calling Naruto. She never liked talking to Naruto about Sasuke. He would always get a look on his face that worried her. She didn't like seeing him that way, but at the moment it couldn't be avoided.

"Naruto I would love to sit here and talk about 'him' but that is not why I called you here."

She grabbed a letter from her desk and handed it to Naruto. She knew whom the letter was from. Three years ago she had received a similar letter addresses to him. She hoped that this letter carried better news then the last one. Naruto stood up and took the letter. He knew whom the letter was from even before he looked at the writing. Only one person had ever sent him a letter. He put the letter is pocket; he wanted to be alone when he read it.

"Thank you." With that he turned and walked out.

Sakura was in the kitchen making lunch when she heard Naruto walk in.

"So how did it go?"

"Fine." He didn't sound too convincing and Sakura turned to look at him. He had a serious look on his face. She had seen that look before. He would always get that look whenever someone mentioned Sasuke. Sakura was getting worried, and fast.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" He heard the concern in her voice.

"Don't worry about it. I'm gonna be in my room, call me when lunch is ready."

Reluctantly she nodded. She knew he would tell her eventually what was bothering him.

Naruto made sure the door was locked before he took the letter out of his pocket. He knew Sakura would never enter his room without knocking it was just that locking the door made him feel alone. He stared at the letter, running his fingers over his name. Slowly he opened the letter.

"I am ready for your judgment. Meet me in the place where we last saw each other.

Sasuke"

Naruto didn't know if he should be happy about Sasuke's return or not. It was true he wanted to see Sasuke again, but was he ready to pass judgment. Maybe seeing Sasuke will make all the anger and hurt he felt come back to the surface. Suddenly Naruto realized he doubted whether or not he would ever be able to be friend with him again. So much had happened since the last time they met. Naruto was not the same person he was then, and neither was Sakura. He knew Sasuke was not the same person he once knew. But how much had Sasuke changed? How much had he changed? Could they even be friends anymore?

"Naruto, lunch." Sakura was knocking on the door softly. She heard Naruto unlock the door and when he opened it she knew something was wrong. They just stood there looking at each other. He spoke first, "Here." He held out the open letter. When she took it he walked down the hall toward the kitchen. He heard her gasp and felt her eyes on his back. Would he go meet Sasuke or would he be too scared to face him?

He had been staring at the waterfall for at least three hours. The constant sound of the falling water had a calming effect on him, even if it didn't calm him completely. There were too many things going through his head to be calm. He was going to see him again. Had he forgiven him? He knew Naruto would never forget, but would he forgive?

'What if Naruto wants to kill me, will I let him?' He closed his eyes, knowing the answer would be yes. He had hurt the one friend he had, the only friend he had ever had. He had gone unpunished for too long. He looked down at the sack by his feet. He knew what he had to offer would never be enough, but it was more a sign of peace then one of forgiveness. He turned to look at the waterfall again.

"Three years."

This was the place where he made his decision. This was where he almost made the biggest mistake of his life. This would be the place where he would face his judgment. That's when he sensed his presence. He turned slowly facing him.

"Naruto."

"Sasuke."

They started at each other for a few seconds. Sasuke looked behind Naruto to see Sakura standing there. He had a feeling Naruto wouldn't come alone. Hell, he wouldn't come alone if he were Naruto. "Sakura." She simply nodded in acknowledgement. Now that all the formalities were taken care of, none of them knew what to say, so they simply looked at each other.

Sasuke was almost shocked to see how much they had both changed. Naruto was about his height now. He had let his hair grow long. It was tied back in a ponytail similar to Jiraiya's except Naruto's was much shorter. He had replaced his bright orange outfit for a much darker orange outfit. The pants and jacket were still the same style though. He wore his jacket open revealing a fishnet shirt as well as a well-toned body. His face was more defined, and the lines on his cheeks were darker then Sasuke remembered. Naruto still had his forehead on his head. 'At least that hasn't changed.'

Sakura had also changed. Her hair was once again long, and she had it tied back in a high ponytail. Instead of the long bangs she used to have, she now had shorter ones that covered her forehead. In place of the dress she used to wear were black pants and a deep red shirt. Her chest binds barely showing over the neck of her shirt. He knew she still wore the white circle on her back even if he couldn't see it. She now wore her forehead protector around her upper right arm. 'She seems much more confidant.'

Upon seeing Sasuke, Naruto knew that he didn't look at all like he had imaged him to be like. Naruto couldn't tell if Sasuke had simply not gotten any taller, or if he had finally caught up to him. His hair was now shoulder length with bangs that still cast shadows on his face. In place of his shorts was a pair of midnight blue pants. He still wore his trademark high collar shirt, only this one was black and sleeveless. Under the shirt he wore a fishnet shirt with sleeves that came down to his elbows. Naruto imaged he still had the Uchiha symbol on his back. 'He was always proud to wear it.'

After what seemed like ages Sasuke finally broke the silence, "So what is your judgment?" Naruto stared at him. Both of them wore emotionless expressions. Sasuke thought he saw a hint of anger in Naruto's eyes.

"You should be more worried about what the Hokage wants to do to you and not me."

"Naruto, I don't care what she wants." Naruto continued to look at Sasuke with an emotionless expression. 'He won't forgive me. I knew it.' Sasuke lowered his head awaiting the judgment had prepared himself for.

'What happened to the Sasuke I knew? I don't know this man. He's being too submissive. The Sasuke I knew would never let someone else control his life much make decisions for him.' Naruto was starting to get slightly angry. This was not how he had expected things to go. He thought Sasuke would come and ask in his "I don't give a shit" voice to come home. But this Sasuke didn't sound that way. This Sasuke didn't even ask to come home. This Sasuke looked at Naruto like he was expecting Naruto to kill him. 'If that's what he wants.'

"Naruto?" Sasuke looked up at the sound of Sakura's voice. He hadn't even noticed Naruto was only a few feet away from him now. He watched Naruto take a kunai from his holster. 'Here it comes.' Sasuke closed his eyes again and waited for the blow. But it never came. He opened his eyes to see Naruto holding the handle of the kunai out.

"Spar with me."

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CLIFFHANGER!!! Yeah me evil. I try.

Open the eyes, close the eyes. look up and look down, I sure made everyone's neck work hard this chapter. Anyway I guess you can kinda see the purpose of the letter. Without the damn letter how would I get the three to meet again??

Oh and just to let you know when Sasuke left I estimated their age to be around 12. So three years later would make then 15. Thats for all of you who can't do math :)


	3. The peace within the sack

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The genius known as Kishimoto owns it. I do hope to one day own Kakashi. muahahaha

**Saori-Hime – actually I thought I was rushing the story. Oh well. Thanks for the kudos....is it the kind with chocolate??**

**Soulstealer777 – yes it was :)**

**Mark – I'm glad you loved it. I'll try not to let you down. **

**nonengel – yeah it did cover a lot of time. I kinda wanted to get on with the story. Thanks for the comment on the Naruto/Sakura development, I really worked hard on that. I hope you enjoy reading about the judgement. **

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**Chapter 3: The Peace within the sack**

"What?"

"You heard me. Spar with me."

"Naruto?" Sakura took a few steps toward the two. She didn't know what Naruto was thinking. When Naruto was like this it always meant trouble. The last time she saw him in this mood, he beat Kiba to a bloody pulp and all because he made a stupid comment that almost made Hinata cry. Things could get ugly if he faced Sasuke while in this mood. She reached out to grab his arm, "Naruto, please."

"Sasuke, you told me once that the only way for first class ninja's to read inside each other's minds is for their fists to meet." Sasuke stared at Naruto dumbfounded by what he had just heard. He remembered telling Naruto that, he just couldn't believe Naruto had just quoted him.

"Spar with me."

Sakura finally understood what Naruto was doing. She remembered Naruto telling her about that line. She looked over at Sasuke. He had a look of shock on his face. It was only there for a second until it turned into an all too familiar smirk. 'I guess things are gonna be alright.'

Naruto returned the smirk that Sasuke was giving him. 'That's the Sasuke I know.'

"Alright Naruto. I'll spar with you." Sasuke reached out and took the kunai from Naruto's outstretched hand. Both of them took a few steps back. Sakura walked over to the side, making sure to give them enough room to spar. She was still a little apprehensive about Sasuke. 'What if we're simply playing into his hands and tries to kill Naruto again?' She began to gather chakra to her right hand.

"Sakura, there is no need for that." Naruto turned to look at her, "If he tries anything I'll stop him." Sakura heard the conviction in his voice. She released the chakra in her hand and nodded. Naruto turned to look at Sasuke again. Both stared at each other, waiting for some kind of signal. It wasn't until a bird fly past them that the two boys charged at each other.

Kunai met kunai. While still pushing against Sasuke's kunai, Naruto attempted to kick Sasuke in the ribs. Sasuke took advantage of Naruto's lack of leverage and pushed Naruto back. Naruto flipped in the air and landed gracefully. He took his kunai and stabbed the ground with it. Sasuke twirled the kunai he held and finally threw it at a tree.

'Always the show off.' Naruto glared at Sasuke. It was Sasuke who lunged at Naruto, fist aiming for his head. Naruto dodged the punch and attempted to kick Sasuke's feet out from under him. Sasuke flipped back, but had little time to recover as Naruto showered him with punches and kicks. Sasuke was able to block all of them. He was even able to throw a few punches and kicks Naruto's way, but they were all blocked as well.

Sakura watched the spar with a slight smile on her face. Watching them spar was like watching an old memory. It was as if nothing had ever happened. She knew Naruto wasn't trying to hurt Sasuke. He was holding back. She was almost certain Sasuke was holding back as well. She gasped suddenly as both boys were thrown back. Naruto reached up to touch his sore cheek and Sasuke put his hand on his now bruised ribs. The started at each other now, no smirks or sarcastic comments, just looks that meant business.

"You'll pay for that." Naruto couldn't remember the last time anyone other then Jirayia had landed a punch on his face.

"As will you." Even before the last word escaped Sasuke's lips he was already forming hands seals. "**Katon Housenka no Jutsu!**" Sasuke started blowing fire from his mouth. Naruto ran to the side only to have the fire follow him. Sasuke followed Naruto with the fire for as long as he could. Naruto knew he had to keep moving, but he also knew Sasuke would have to breath eventually. As soon as he dropped the ninjutsu, Naruto turned toward him and began forming seals. Sasuke's eyes went wide as he recognized the seals, 'What?'

"**Katon Housenka no Jutsu!**" Sasuke jumped back having just enough time to dodge the fire. Naruto made the fireball bigger in hopes of catching Sasuke when he landed. Naruto managed to singe Sasuke's pants before he had to drop the ninjutsu.

Sasuke looked down at his singed pants then turned to look at Naruto.

"You didn't honestly think I wouldn't have learned a fire technique over the past three years. Comes in handy when you want to make a camp fire." Sakura giggled at the last comment. She remembered the first time Naruto had tried using the jutsu to make a campfire. He ended up burning not only their tents and supplies but also the whole clearing. "Sakura, shut up." Naruto knew what she was laughing about.

"I can tell you're still not as skilled with them as I am though."

"True, I can't seem to get them to move like you can. But I have learned to control the size of the fire."

Sasuke motioned to the hole in his pants, "I noticed."

Naruto smiled at Sasuke's comment. 'Looks like we're evenly matched.'

"Naruto, lets end this."

"Yes, let's." As Naruto took off running toward Sasuke he pulled out two shuriken and threw them at Sasuke. Sasuke had only enough time to throw two of his own shuriken when Naruto was suddenly in front of him. Sasuke felt something metallic and cold against his throat. He froze. The look in Naruto's eyes was something Sasuke had never seen before; he saw nothing. There was no emotion in the eyes before him. 'So he is going to kill me.' Sasuke stood there waiting for the eminent.

"I can't believe I was able to catch you like this." Naruto smiled, even though there was no humor in his voice. "You were holding back on me, weren't you?"

"You were too." Sasuke was rewarded with a threatening push on his throat.

"Why did you hold back?"

"I didn't come here to kill you Naruto."

"Why did you come here then?"

"To give you something." He motioned with his hand to the sack that had been left unattended. "Look in the bag."

Naruto heard Sakura walk over to the sack. "What's in the sack Sakura?"

Sakura picked up the sack. It was heavier then she expected it to be. She opened the sack and saw something black inside. She reached in and pulled it out. "Oh my god!"

"Sakura what's wrong? What's in the sack?" Naruto wanted nothing more then to turn to look at her, but he didn't want to drop his guard on Sasuke. "Sakura?"

"It's his head."

"Whose head?"

"Orochimaru's." Sakura turned to look at them. She couldn't believe it. "Did you kill him, Sasuke?"

"Yes I did." He looked from Sakura to Naruto. "I will not be a pawn in his little game." Sasuke couldn't tell if Naruto was mad that he had killed Orochimaru or happy about it. 'He has such an emotionless expression.' It was then that he realized how much he had hurt Naruto. Sasuke remembered a time when Naruto was incapable of being emotionless. His eyes always betrayed him. They were always so warm and welcoming. Now they were dark and betrayed nothing.

"Sakura show me." Naruto had to see the evidence for himself to believe it. Only when Sakura was right next to him did he look over to see the head she was holding. There was no doubt about it, that was Orochimaru. He looked back over at Sasuke, "Now why would I want that snake's head?"

"It's a peace offering."

"Peace?" Sakura was getting more confused by the minute. She put the head back in the sack. Holding it made chills go up her spine. Sasuke looked over at her, being careful not to rub his neck against the object Naruto still held to his throat.

"Yes peace." He turned to look at Naruto, "I want the hostility to end between us."

"So where's the bag with Itachi's head?"

"There will be no bag with his head." Naruto raised his eyebrow at the statement.

"Has the great Uchiha, the avenger, given up on his goal?" Sasuke could almost feel the anger and contempt dripping off the words. 'No doubt about it, he's going to kill me.'

"I have chosen a new path, one without Itachi. I killed Orochimaru so I can walk that path without him following me." Sakura couldn't believe what she just heard. For as long as she could remember Sasuke was always obsessed with Itachi. It was true what he said about Orochimaru. He would follow Sasuke to the ends of the earth and back, tempting him all along the way. But still to give up on Itachi was something she was having a hard time believing. She wondered if Naruto was thinking the same thing. Looking at him she realized his face revealed nothing. She looked at the hand at Sasuke's throat. 'What will you do Naruto?'

"Are you ready for me to pass judgment on you?"

"Yes." Sasuke raised his chin, exposing more of neck. Suddenly the object on his neck was gone. He looked at Naruto, surprised.

"Did you really think I was going to kill you?" He held out his hand to reveal a forehead protector with the Konoha emblem on it. "I had yours repaired." Sasuke looked from the forehead protector to Naruto and then Sakura. She smiled at him and nodded. Sasuke was about to take the protector from Naruto's hand when Sakura said, "How long have you been watching?"

This caught both Naruto's and Sasuke's attention. It was only then they realized the presence of someone. All three turned to see Kakashi walking out from behind a bush. He looked exactly as Sasuke remembered him. The only difference was that now Kakashi was reading the latest volume of Icha Icha Violence.

"So should I welcome you home, or should I kill you?" He reached down to his holster and put away his book. Sasuke knew Kakashi was now holding a kunai.

"I am not the one you should be asking." Sasuke looked over at Naruto. Naruto took a step toward Sasuke and proceeded to tie the protector around Sasuke's head. When Naruto finally took a step back, Sasuke bowed his head. 'I'm home.' When he looked back at Naruto he saw that Sakura was now at his side and both of them were smiling warmly at him.

"So how many exams do I have to take, one or two?"

Naruto and Sakura shared a confused look. Sakura turned to Sasuke and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Are you guys chuunins or jounins?"

Naruto reached up and started to scratch the back of his head, "Ha, well actually we're still genins."

"What? Why?"

"We didn't want to take the exams without you. Team 7 is supposed to take the exams, and without you there is no Team 7. Naruto and I decided to wait for your return." Sasuke was speechless. They had waited for him to come back. After all he had done, they had waited.

"Naruto, you know the Hokage can't be a genin."

"I know. It was my punishment for breaking the promise I made to Sakura. Besides, how can I be Hokage if I can't even save my friend from the darkness." Naruto's words stunned Sasuke to no end. 'He's matured so much.' Sasuke then did something he hadn't done in years; he smiled.

Kakashi stood there watching his students when he whispered, "So what do you two think?"

"It's about time. He'd ruin my reputation if he stayed a genin forever." Jirayia was quickly rewarded with a smack to his head.

"Baka!"

"Ow! That hurt Tsunade."

"I know it did." She then turned to look at the three genins who were sharing a quiet moment.

"Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, Kakashi."

"What is the official standing of Team 7?"

Tsunade laughed slightly at the question. She turned to look over at Kakashi, a smile on her face. "I don't think it was my decision to make." Kakashi simply nodded. She could tell he was smiling under his mask.

"I think we should leave them alone. They have a lot of catching up to do." With that Jirayia turned and walked away. Tsunade started to follow him when she noticed Kakashi hadn't moved from his spot. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"It's just nice to see him smile again." Kakashi felt a weight had been lifted off of him when he looked at how Naruto was smiling. When Sasuke had left, Kakashi blamed himself for not being able to stop him from hurting Naruto. He had let his comrades down, and he hated that more then anything. But now things would be better. He turned and walked toward the village with Tsunade, 'Yes, things will be better now.'

It was Sakura who finally broke the silence, "How about we go home?"

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Okay so how was the action?? Weird, confusing, not enough?? I've never written action before, so it's all new territory for me.

About Sasuke's return. I don't plan on healing all the wounds in one chapter, that would be way too hard. I'm gonna make him earn their full trust once again, so don't think I just brought him back and everything is going to be sunshine and butterflies.

About Naruto's sudden attitude change. I strongly that Naruto likes to make people think he's gonna do one thing and then he goes and does something completely different. If you've read the most recent manga chapters then you know what I mean.

So leave comments, reviews, death threats......it's all good as long as I know someone's reading the damn thing.


	4. Opening Old Wounds

**I got 1000 hits and since I'm so happy..........EARLY UPDATE!!!!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them, wish I did though. Hmmm maybe if I rub a magic lamp ::proceeds to rub desk lamp::**

Kitsune – even if I wanted to stop, I can't. This story has taken a life of it's own. About those pairings, this chapter should take care of that.

Nonengel – I find the dynamic of Team 7 really interesting. The genin thing sounded like a good idea when I wrote it until I realized I gotta make them take the Chuunin exam, and a jounin exam, which I know nothing about. And about Itachi......I ain't done with him yet. ::winks::

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The walk to Konoha was silent, not a tense or awkward silence, just plain silence. Sasuke was grateful that is was so late since the streets were empty. There was the occasional ninja that would walk past but they didn't even give them a second glance. It was probably because Sakura and Naruto were walking in front of him and no knew he was there. Not that he was complaining he didn't want to be noticed. To be noticed meant he would have to explain why he was back and why he left in the first place. He knew he wasn't ready for that.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice where he was until they started approaching his house. "They didn't tear it down?"

Sakura slowed down a bit to walk next to him, "Well actually me and Naruto live here now."

"It was her idea." Naruto stopped at the front door and started looking through his pockets for the keys. It was then that Sasuke noticed the Uchiha emblem next to the door. "I painted it yesterday, you can paint it from now on."

"Oh."

When Naruto finally got the door open he moved to the side to let Sasuke walk in first. Upon entering he couldn't believe what he saw. He remembered a house that was always cold and empty. This was something completely different. There was more furniture, which although took up a lot of space was strangely inviting. There were pictures on the wall from their childhood. Sasuke scanned the wall briefly before stopping on a picture of Team 7.

"I doubt you need a tour. Your room is as you left it. Now if you don't mind I'm going to go make dinner." Sasuke watched Sakura walk past him and into the kitchen. He heard Naruto shut the door behind him and lock it. Sasuke decided to go to his room. Taking his shoes off he started to walk down the hall. He knew Naruto was following him, and he didn't mind. When he opened the door to his room he couldn't believe what he saw. Everything was exactly like he remembered it. It was like walking into a photograph. Nothing had been moved; even his dirty laundry was still on the floor.

Naruto stood behind Sasuke and watched him get ridged when he opened the door to his room. He knew Sasuke was surprised to see the room. Naruto leaned against the doorframe when Sasuke finally entered the room. 'I wonder what he's thinking?' Naruto realized then that he would have to learn how to read Sasuke all over again.

"We didn't go through any of your things. All we did was dust and open the window."

"Why?"

"We couldn't let the place get dusty and old."

"No. I mean why did you forgive me so easily?"

"Oh." Silence filled the room as Naruto searched for the right words. Sasuke had to turn around to make sure Naruto was still there. Naruto was looking at some random thing on the wall.

"I know I hurt you, so why?"

Naruto set his gaze on Sasuke and looked into his guilt filled eyes. "You're my friend. I never had anyone before you or Iruka. I'd do anything to keep you. I know why you did what you did. I would have done the same thing. Yes you hurt me, but you were hurt too. You're still hurting. But you've changed. You learned your lesson. I would have waited forever for you to come back." As soon as the words left Naruto's mouth he knew he meant every single one.

"Sorry." Sasuke didn't know what else to say. After all he had done to Naruto he still wanted to be friends. He never knew someone with such a forgiving heart existed. It was at that very moment he promised to never hurt him again.

"Stop apologizing, it's scary." Naruto reached out and playfully punched Sasuke in the shoulder. They looked at each other and for the first time in almost three years Naruto was truly happy and his smile showed it.

"Hey guys! Dinner!"

Naruto was almost skipping down the hall toward the kitchen. "Is it ramen?" Sasuke knew what the answer was when he saw a spoon fly past his door. "Sakura that's mean." It surprised him at how easily the three of them fell into their old routine. Sakura yelled at Naruto, Naruto would pout and Sasuke would stand back and shake his head. Sasuke knew everything was going to be all right.

Sakura couldn't be happier. Sasuke was back, Naruto was happy and all three of them could move on. She found the two of them sitting at the table, patiently waiting for their food. Naruto noticed the smile on Sakura's face and it warmed his heart.

Dinner was eaten in a comfortable silence. No one knew what to say. And even if they did they didn't want to ruin the moment. They were simply basking in each other's presence. Once the table had been cleared and the dishes washed they migrated to the living room. Sakura took the couch, Sasuke a chair and Naruto sat on the floor with his back to the couch next to Sakura.

"So what did you two do while I was gone?" The silence was getting to be too much for Sasuke. Besides he was curious as to what Naruto and Sakura had been up to.

"Oh well we spent the first year fixing up the place. Sakura did most of the work, I just did what she told me to."

"And after that?"

"We trained." Naruto stated the obvious causing Sakura to smile.

"Silly he knows that." Naruto turned and pouted at her.

"Who trained you?"

"Oh, well Kakashi and Shizume trained me, and Jirayia trained Naruto. Sometimes we went on missions, but most of our time was spent training." Naruto simply nodded as Sakura answered the question.

"I can tell you've gotten stronger Sakura." At the comment Sakura blushed.

"Sasuke, I'm gonna tell Thick-brows you were hitting on his girl." Naruto was quickly rewarded with a fist to the top of his head. 'I knew that was coming.'

"Lee?"

"Oh we've only just recently started seeing each other. We're not really a couple yet."

"Don't lie you know you are. You're just to scared to admit it." It was true. Sakura was scared of commitment. Most of her fear stemmed from the fact that if she did one day decide to get married she might never be able to be a ninja again. She would be a wife and maybe a mother. She couldn't even being to image what life her children would have if she died. All she had to do was look at how Sasuke turned out to see what could happen.

"Naruto what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you seeing anyone?" A furious blush suddenly appeared on both the face of Naruto and Sakura.

"Well you see....um....the thing is....."

"He hasn't dated anyone since we broke up a year ago." Just when Sasuke thought he couldn't be anymore shocked, he was. He found himself looking from Naruto to Sakura and back. Naruto refused to look at him, where as Sakura was still red as a tomato. Sasuke just stared at Sakura. For someone who hardly spoke, he was even more speechless. Looking at Naruto he found that he was slightly curious about their relationship. But he also knew it wasn't his place to ask.

"We were lonely." Naruto still refused to look as Sasuke as he talked. He just looked at some random spot on the ground. "It was convenient, you know. She understood what I was going through and I understood her. It made sense at the time. But loneliness can't hold a relationship together." Sasuke could tell that they were both relieving the relationship. Thinking about the relationship only brought back all the feelings of loneliness that both of them had struggled so hard to get rid of.

Sakura couldn't take the silence any longer; she had to do something. Suddenly something dawned on her and she focused her attention on Sasuke. "So, what did you do for the three years you were away?"

'I knew they would ask eventually.' Sasuke sighed heavily. He interlaced his fingers placing them under his nose and propped his elbows on his thighs.

"I suppose I should start when Naruto passed out." Naruto obviously stiffened at the statement. Sakura's fingers twitched, she wanted to place her hand on his should to calm him down but decided against it.

"Is it safe to assume that he told you everything about that day?" Sasuke didn't want to relive the fight, it was too painful and he didn't think he could talk about it. He waited for one of them to give him some kind of answer. Finally Sakura nodded.

"Naruto was passed out on the ground. I simply stood there staring at him. I had aimed my Chidori at his chest. He aimed his Rasengan at my forehead protector. After all the things I had done and said he still wouldn't kill me. That's when it started to rain. I occurred to me that when Zabuza died it snowed. Those were Haku's tears that fell from the sky that day. I wondered if he was crying now because of what I had done." Suddenly Naruto got up. He couldn't listen anymore. He wanted to know what Sasuke had been doing, but he couldn't sit there any longer. It hurt too much to hear. He mumbled to Sakura that he would be all right and walked out the door. Not once did he look at Sasuke.

"He'll come back. It was just too much for him."

"Should I stop?"

"No, keep going. I'll tell him later. It probably won't hurt as much if I tell him."

"Ok." Sasuke looked over at the spot where Naruto had been sitting. He got up and moved to the window. He didn't want to look at her face or Naruto's spot as he talked, it would only make it harder.

"I don't remember much after the rain started. All I know is that I walked. I don't know for how long or in what direction. I just simply walked away. I ended up in a small village. I don't even remember the name of the village anymore. Somehow I managed to write a letter and I paid some kid to deliver it. I stayed there for a few more days and then left. I decided to leave the Fire Country. I needed to go somewhere where I could sort things out. I ended up in the Tea Country. No one knew me there so it was easy to blend in and hide."

"Did you ever go visit Idate?" Sakura had gone on a mission to the Tea Country once and had asked Idate if he had seen Sasuke. He had said no, but she had a feeling he was lying to her.

"No, but we almost ran into each other once. I was staying in an abandoned house on the outskirts of a small village when I saw him. He might have seen me, but I'm not sure."

'It seems like Idate was telling the truth.'

"I had decided to stop being a ninja, and live the life of a normal peasant. I thought maybe then I could be happy. I could start over. So I went from village to village. I'd train a little here and there in my travels. Then about a year and half into my travels I had a nightmare. I dreamed of Orochimaru. I dreamed that he came here and killed you, Kakashi and Naruto." The nightmare was still so fresh in Sasuke's mind. He knew if he stopped talking now he wouldn't ever be able to tell anyone about the nightmare ever again.

"That morning I decided that no matter where I went or how I lived my life, Konoha was and will always be a part of me. I realized then that I would rather die protecting my precious comrades then run away. Naruto lived his life that way and from then on I would too. But before I could start my new path I had to get rid of the snake." Sakura didn't even notice Sasuke had moved from the window until she felt the couch shift next to her. She didn't have the courage to look at him but she knew he wasn't looking at her either.

"How did you kill him?"

"It was rather easy for me to get close to him. As soon as he heard I was in the Sound Country he sent out escorts for me. I told him that I didn't want anyone to know I was there, and he agreed. He accepted me with open arms. I stayed there and tried to gain his trust. Even with his useless arms he would a difficult man to kill. I had to get him when he was vulnerable, so I waited. About a week ago, while we were sparring, I saw my chance and took it. Kabuto let me leave the village without resistance. I think he had been planning on killing Orochimaru as well."

"Can he be trusted then?"

"No. If anything I would have trusted Orochimaru more. At least with him you knew what he wanted. Kabuto is a total mystery."

"True."

"So, I left the Sound and upon arriving here I sent Naruto another letter. To be honest I really did think Naruto was going to kill me."

"He can't kill you. You mean to much to him." Sakura heard Sasuke sigh heavily, almost like he had been holding his breath the entire time. She knew talking about the past three years was hard. Those three years were hard on everyone. She also knew that he had left out a lot of details. Maybe one day she would ask him about the Sound, but for now she'd let it slide.

"What do I mean to you Sakura?" Sakura was suddenly taken aback by the question. That was the last thing she expected him to ask. She sat there next to him, and looked at his features.

"If you're wondering about the crush I had on you, you can stop. My feelings for you do not go beyond friendship. My affection is now directed to one man, and he is no longer you." She didn't mean for it to come out so harshly, but it was true. A heart once broken can never be the way it was before. She had given him a chance to love her the way she loved him. It was now Lee's turn, and she knew he would love her until his last breath.

"Good. Someone like me doesn't deserve someone like you. I don't think I'm capable of loving someone the way Lee loves you."

"Yes you are." Sakura took hold of Sasuke's hand. He looked from her hand to her face to see her smiling at him. "You just need to find that one person who warms your heart. She's out there, trust me."

Blushing Sasuke turned away from her, "Thank you."

"It's getting late so I'm going to go to bed now." Sakura got up and was about to enter the hallway when Sasuke asked her about Naruto. "Don't worry about him. He'll be back. Good night."

Sasuke stayed in the living room looking out the window for a while after Sakura had left. He thought about how much they had changed. He wondered if they truly trusted him. He knew that tomorrow they would have to go see the Hokage about his return. Sasuke was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't even notice Naruto walk in the house.

"You should get some rest, it's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Sasuke turned and noticed that there was dirt on Naruto's pants and that he looked tired and sweaty. Before he got the chance to ask him where he had been Naruto walked off.

"Well good night Sasuke."

Sasuke waited a few minutes before getting up and going to his room. It took him a while to find something to wear to bed, since all his clothes were now too small. As he lay in bed he heard Naruto get out of the shower. He heard the door to Naruto's room open and close. Sasuke was about to fall asleep when he heard the sound of Sakura's door open followed by hushed voices. Sasuke couldn't make out the words but he knew Sakura was telling Naruto everything she had heard that night. The last thing Sasuke heard before falling asleep was the sound of Naruto closing his door for the night.

MAKE WAY FOR THE MONSTER CHAPTER!!! This was originally 2 chapters, but I decided to mash them together.

I know that never in a million years would Sasuke ever talk that much, but I had to get the story out somehow. Well now that all the wounds have been opened the healing can begin. For those who don't know Naruto was out training. I mention in Chapter 1 that when he gets sad he goes and trains until the feeling is gone.

About the whole Haku thing. I am a firm believer that one of the underlying themes of the series is what Haku told Naruto; "Only when you protect someone precious are you truly strong." Haku had a profound impact on the team, even if they don't notice it. I noticed it and that's all that matters. ï

For all of you who wanted Sas/Sak...... sorry. This chapter basically killed any chances of that. I'm more of a Lee/Sak fan anyway. I did leave it open for a Sas/??? pairing though.

So like always leave comments, suggestions, likes, dislikes, flames, social security numbers.....you know all the usual.


	5. Stealth

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I did I wouldn't have to worry about college tuition.**

**nonengel** – Thanks for the comment about the Naruto/Sakura thing. It's probably the only original idea I came up with.

**Tsugath** – It's kinda sad that the whole Haku thing doesn't come up more. It's like "Hello people, Naruto says it over and over and over!" ::shakes random person::

**Tyranimo** – At the moment I don't know. I am kinda leaning towards not making it a slash fic. But things can change later on. I don't really plan that far ahead.

**TenshkiKaitou** – I was purposely trying to make Sakura likeable. Um...I hate to say this but like I told Tyranimo, I don't know if my fic will eventually go m/m. Sorry ;;

**Destiny1029** – Umm sorry to say it will not be a Naruto/Sakura pairing. I already killed that option. I'm glad though that you enjoyed every moment of the fic. Makes me happy.

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Chapter 5: Stealth 

"He's been in there for almost two hours!" Naruto was growing impatient and it was starting to irritate Sakura. She was starting to get a headache.

"The Hokage needs to know what he was doing for the past three years." Kakashi was leaning against a wall with is eye closed. Naruto's constant whining was starting to give him a headache as well. He knew Tsunade was always thorough with her interrogations. But truth be told even Kakashi was wondering what they could be talking about. Sakura had already informed him on what Sasuke had been up too, and it only took her 15 minutes.

All three turned towards the door as it opened. Sasuke walked out looking very tired. He looked at them and walked down the hall to the bathroom. Tsunade knew everything now. She knew about the Sound, about his travels and about his fight with Naruto three years ago. She knew every intimate detail about his life. He had never told anyone the things he told her, but he couldn't lie to her. Not telling her everything or lying to her would just make it more difficult for him to stay.

"Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura get in here!" Tsunade was still sitting behind her desk, looking equally as tired. Talking to Sasuke was more draining then she expected. It took her a while to get him to open up, but once he did she couldn't stop him. He dumped everything on her. He told her things that she never wanted to know about, but had to know. She knew why he did it. It was the only way she could understand why he did what he did. She knew what it was like to have a black stain on the soul. "We'll wait for Sasuke to come back."

Naruto was getting nervous. Sasuke had told her more then he had told them. He wasn't sure what Sasuke could be hiding, but he knew better then to push for information. Sasuke would most likely clam up. He heard the door close behind him and a moment later Sasuke was standing between him and Sakura. Looking over at him, Naruto noticed that Sasuke had washed his face and looked more composed.

Sasuke turned his head slightly and raised an eyebrow at Naruto. "What?"

"Nothing." Naruto turned to look back at Tsunade.

Tsunade was resisting the urge to smile at the scene before her. She couldn't remember the last time all four of them stood in her office. She also couldn't remember the last time all of them looked happy. Especially Naruto, his eyes once again shined like they did so many years ago.

"What am I going to do with you?" She asked to no one in particular. It didn't surprise her when no one answered. She lowered her head to look at her desk. Should she let Sasuke stay, or should she punish him for leaving? But she already knew the answer to that question. Heck she knew the answer last night when she saw them standing together.

"Do you want to be Team 7 again?" She looked up to see Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke nod sheepishly.

"Kakashi, do you still want to be their sensei?"

"Must you really ask a question you already know the answer to?"

"Well then that settles that. Kakashi I want to speak with you privately." The three genins turned and walked out leaving Kakashi and Tsunade alone. She would offer for him a seat, but she knew he would refuse.

"Do you think that can work together again?"

Kakashi sighed heavily and took a moment to think about the question. "It's still to early to tell. They might still have some deep embedded anger for him. Give me a few days to evaluate them."

"You have one."

"Hai." Kakashi turned and lazily walked out the room. 'One day. Damnit I'm going to need some help.' As he exited the office he saw that his team had waited for him.

"Meet me in the training ground in ten minutes." Before anyone could question his order he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I hate it when he does that. Well let's get going." Naruto got up and started to walk out.

"Naruto you know he's always late." Sakura knew Kakashi was always at least an hour late for everything. She could have lunch and still make it to the training ground before him. Gods was she hungry.

"Sakura he was serious this time. He might actually be on time."

"He's gonna be late, dobe." The word slipped out of his mouth before Sasuke could stop it. He shouldn't have said that, it was too soon. His worries disappeared when he saw Naruto giving him an all too familiar glare.

--

They had been waiting for almost two hours, and still no Kakashi. Naruto and Sakura were sitting on the ground and Sasuke stood next to them. Sighing heavily Sasuke shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

Naruto looked over and glared at Sasuke, "Don't say a word."

"Man, I knew I should have eaten lunch." Sakura's stomach suddenly growled. It was then that Kakashi entered the clearing with an angry looking Jirayia walking behind him.

Naruto promptly stood up and yelled, "You're late!"

"Ha, gomen." Kakashi waved off the anger radiating from the team. Some things never change. He motioned to Jirayia, "I had a hard time getting him to stop researching."

Sakura stood up and started dusting off her pants. "At least you have a good reason." She knew about Jirayia's research sessions so she couldn't blame Kakashi for being tardy.

"So what do you want us to do?" Sasuke didn't want to beat around the bush. He knew Kakashi never did anything without reason.

"Straight to the point as always Sasuke." Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out one bell. "We're going to train."

All three of them started at the bell with some confusion. It was Naruto who spoke up first though, "But we already know the answer."

"This training session is different from the first time. Not only will you have to work as a team, but you will also have to do some information gathering."

"Information gathering?" Sakura was confused, why would they need to gather information? All they had to do was take the bell.

"Yes. You'll have to figure out if I have the bell of if Jirayia has the bell." Kakashi wanted to see if they could honesty work as a team. Teamwork was more then just being able to overwhelm a person. Besides it gave him a reason to have Jirayia around. Kakashi knew he wouldn't be able to handle an angry Naruto and an angry Sasuke at the same time. Better safe then sorry.

"Aww man, Ero-Sennin is gonna be training with us too." Jirayia frowned at the comment. He was never going to get used to being called a pervert.

"Oh, well this should be easy." Sasuke smirked at Sakura's comment. At least one of them was confident. He had no idea what level Kakashi or Jirayia was at. He wasn't even sure what level he was at. This was a good opportunity to test out his skills.

"Now if you don't mind." Jirayia pulled out a smoke bomb and detonated it. When the smoke disappeared Kakashi had his hands in his pocket and Jirayia had his arms crossed.

"Begin."

Sasuke and Naruto immediately disappeared from sight leaving Sakura standing alone. She stood there just looking at them with a smirk on her face that could rival Naruto's. Jirayia raised an eyebrow at her, 'what the hell is she doing?"

"You both have bells."

If it were physically possible for a jaw to hit the ground, Jirayia's would have. Kakashi almost burst into laughter when he saw the face Jirayia had made. Off in the distance they could hear Naruto yell "Cheaters!" followed by a colorful array of curses.

"Nothing gets by you does it Sakura." Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out another smoke bomb.

"One of you better have a bell the next time or we're gonna beat the crap out of both of you."

Kakashi simply smiled at her as he threw the bomb to the ground, "I'd expect nothing less." When the smoke cleared she was gone.

Both men stood in the clearing, listening for any sound, watching for any movement. Jirayia caught some movement out of the corner of his eye, but upon turning he realized it was Kakashi. He was reaching up to reveal his sharingan.

"Oooh, getting serious so soon."

"I don't take my students lightly."

Jirayia pulled out a kunai and deflected a kunai that had been aimed at his head. "Neither do I."

--

Sakura and Sasuke were waiting in the bushes for Naruto to return. Sakura had sent him to throw the kunai to confuse the men about their actual location.

Silently Naruto approached the two and whispered, "Great Kakashi is using the sharingan." He looked over at Sasuke who was also using his sharingan. "Oh, never mind."

Sakura had been running through a number of possible strategies in her head. Finally settling on one she moved up to sit between the two boys. "Okay this is what we're going to do..."

--

"So what do you think you're students are going to do?"

"I don't know. But I think we'll be finding out soon enough." It was at that moment that kunai and shuriken rained on both men causing them to move dodge. When they looked up Naruto was standing in front of Jirayia and Sasuke in front of Kakashi. Sakura was still hiding in the bushes. She was to watch the fighting and try to determine who had the bell.

No time was wasted as the fighting began. Naruto decided not to hold back on the old man. But he soon realized that Jirayia was holding back on him. Jirayia wasn't putting up much of an effort. Looking behind him Naruto noticed that Kakashi and Sasuke were having a heated battle. 'That must mean Kakashi has the bell.'

Naruto knew he was supposed to wait for a signal from Sakura before the decision to double team was made, but he couldn't wait. He grabbed Jirayia's arm and kicked him square in the chest throwing him back into a tree. Before Jirayia could register what had just happened Naruto disappeared.

"Where the hell did he go?" Jirayia voiced what Sakura was thinking. Jirayia got up and started looking around. Naruto had completely vanished into thin air. 'Two can play this game.' He too disappeared into the trees. He would wait Naruto out. When it came to patience Jirayia always won against Naruto.

Sakura was starting to get worried. First Naruto disappeared and now Jirayia. This was not a part of the plan. She was still in the process of deciding who had the bell when Naruto disappeared. How could she decide if one of the possibilities was now hiding? She looked over at Sasuke and Kakashi, who at the moment were having a stand off.

Without warning Sasuke pulled out some shuriken and threw them at Kakashi. Kakashi jumped to the side and was about to throw some of his own shuriken at Sasuke when he heard Sakura scream.

"NARUTO!"

Kakashi looked back to see Naruto embedded with the shuriken that Sasuke had just thrown. Naruto just stood there, blood flowing from his wounds. Kakashi would have been worried about Naruto had it not been for the death glare Naruto was currently giving Sasuke.

Sasuke just stared wide-eyed at Naruto. 'I didn't even know he was there.' He felt the killer intent coming off of Naruto and took a step back. Everyone noticed when Naruto's eyes went from blue to red. Kakashi had just enough time to grab Sakura as she ran past him toward Naruto.

Naruto began to slowly walk toward Sasuke. He would have continued walking but Jirayia jumped in front of him.

"He didn't mean it Naruto! No one knew where you were!"

"Move old man." The words came out as a growl. Naruto was flexing his hands, which now looked more like claws at the moment. His eyes never once left Sasuke's face.

"Snap out of it!" Jirayia kicked Naruto in the chest and threw him back in the same tree he had been thrown in a few minutes earlier. The impact broke the tree in half and left Naruto sitting on the ground with is back against the bottom half of the tree trunk. Sakura slipped out of Kakashi's hands and ran toward Naruto. She began to pull out the shuriken, knowing that as soon as they were out the wounds would heal.

"You must getting really good at stealth." She was desperately trying to lighten the mood. Usually inflating his ego worked, but she wasn't sure if it would work this time. Naruto gently pushed her aside and stood up. He looked over at Sasuke who was still frozen in place. Naruto instantly felt guilty over the whole thing. He knew it was his own fault. Looking at Kakashi, Naruto threw a bell at him.

"Here."

Kakashi caught the bell, and Jirayia started patting himself down.

"When the hell did you..?"

Before anyone could ask any questions Naruto turned and started walking away. No one knew what to say anyway. Sakura knew Naruto felt guilty over the whole incident. Sure, he managed to get the bell, but still. She would have rather failed the training, then pass it and have Naruto hurting again. This training didn't help strengthen any bonds. She wanted everyone to be happy again, she wanted things to be like before. She turned to see how Sasuke was dealing with the whole thing. She barely had enough time to register his presence before he took off running in the opposite direction as Naruto.

She moved to go after him when Kakashi grabbed her wrist. "They need some time alone."

--

Tsunade was looking out her window when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." She noticed how tired Kakashi looked as he walked up to her desk.

"I take it you've already evaluated them. So how did they do?" She was a bit surprised to see him take a seat. The training session had taken a lot out of Kakashi.

"Their teamwork is good, but there is still some anger there. Particularly from Naruto." Tsunade walked over to her desk and sat in her chair.

"What happened?"

"Sasuke accidentally injured Naruto." Tsunade sighed and looked down at the paperwork on her desk.

"Do you think they're ready then?"

"Honestly?" Kakashi paused weighing all the pros and cons. "Yes."

Tsunade smiled at Kakashi as she handed him the paperwork on her desk. "I trust in your decision."

Taking the paperwork Kakashi walked out the office. Tsunade was alone for just a few moments before the door opened again. She looked up to see Jirayia walking up to her desk.

"I saw the paperwork you gave Kakashi, do you really think that's wise?"

"I trust his decision."

"What about Sasuke? Is it wise to let him come back so easily?"

"Who said anything about easy." At the statement Jirayia looked at Tsunade shocked. He didn't quite understand what she was getting at. Sometimes she could be more insightful then he could be, but he would never tell her that. "Sometimes it hurts more when one isn't punished."

----------------------------------------------

Uh-oh someone got mad. I said I was going to test the relationship, and here's test number one. I have a lot more in store for these guys.

Oh someone mentioned that they were unsure what character I was going to focus on. Well actually I'm going to focus on Team 7. They're really interesting people. I'm not going to pick one person to write about.

Lastly about the line Tsunade says at the end. I got the idea from Fruits Basket. It's something Yuki tells Kyo as he's walking away, "Sometimes it hurts more when I don't hit you." Punishing oneself can be more hurtful and devastating then when someone does it for you.

Anyway, next chapter.....LEE!! So remember to leave comments, reviews, mail bombs.


	6. The Green Leaf of Konoha

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. ::goes off to cry in a corner::**

**Pale Rider** – I really enjoyed reading your review. It made my day, no really it did. I never really intended to set the stage for naru/sasu, it just kinda came out that way. As for Lee, read ahead to see how he takes Sasuke's return.

**nonengel – **Thanks for the comment on the last line to Chapter 5. I will take into consideration what you said about the pairnings.

**Shinobi36** – HI!! ::waves:: Don't think that Itachi is out of the picture yet. I plan on bringing him back, though it won't be for a while.

**I would like to take this moment to thank my beta. She points out my random brain farts. Thanks Bernie. **

**---**

**Chapter 6: The Green Leaf of Konoha**

Sasuke was sitting Indian style on his bed staring at his copy of the Team 7 picture. He had been sitting there for an hour. His legs had fallen asleep a while ago, but he hadn't noticed. He was running a finger across the picture when he heard a small knock on the door.

"Come in." He assumed it was Sakura. He wasn't sure if he could face Naruto at the moment. Unfortunately for him, it was Naruto. Naruto walked in and shut the door, not once did he look up from the floor.

Neither one knew what to say. Naruto had spent the last hour trying to come up with an apology. He had it all planned out, and yet as soon as he walked in Sasuke's room his mind went blank. He couldn't think of a single word to say. He couldn't even look at him. Naruto surprised himself as well as Sasuke when he walked over to the bed and sat down. He didn't remember telling his legs to move, they just moved on their own accord. Silence once again filled the room.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke couldn't wait for Naruto to start talking. It was best if they just got it all over with. Naruto would yell at him, he would apologize and Sakura could try and mend things between them.

"I told you to stop apologizing. It's scary. Besides it was my fault. I didn't follow the plan." Naruto wasn't sure why Sasuke was apologizing. He was the one who went against the plan, not Sasuke. If anything Sasuke should be mad at him.

"Will you ever trust me like you did before?"

"I thought I already did. But when those shuriken hit me I just snapped."

"I didn't expect you to trust me like before. But that look you gave me was the same as the one from…."

"Stop." Naruto knew where Sasuke was going with that. It still hurt to talk about the fight, even if it was three years ago. "I shouldn't have gotten that mad. It was uncalled for."

"Will you stop taking all the blame?!" Sasuke turned to look Naruto dead in the eye. Sasuke was getting tired of other people taking the blame for his mistakes. He was the one who ran off three years ago, he was the one who tried to kill Naruto. No one made him do it, he did it all on his own. He didn't want someone else taking his sins. They were his to carry, and no one else's, especially not Naruto.

"Why do you have to be at fault? I know you didn't do it on purpose!" Naruto didn't understand what the problem was. Sasuke was getting mad at him for apologizing for a mistake he made. That's what people are supposed to do. It was rare for Naruto to admit to being wrong, and even rarer for him to admit it to Sasuke.

"You wouldn't have gotten that mad at me had I not hurt you three years ago!" There he had said it. Sasuke had said the one thing he had been trying not to admit to Naruto. It was all his fault, everything. All the hurt, the pain, the lack of trust, everything was his fault, not Naruto's. Sasuke was the one who betrayed everyone, who turned his back and walked away. It was Sasuke who took away the innocence in Naruto's eyes.

He waited for Naruto to say something, anything, but Naruto just sat there and said nothing. He couldn't say anything. Sasuke's words had struck a cord deep within him. Yes, Sasuke had hurt him. But hearing him say it had a profound impact on Naruto. Sasuke never admitted his mistakes. If he admitted he was wrong, then it made it okay to move on, to heal. It was then that Naruto noticed the picture of Team 7 next to Sasuke. Naruto reached over and picked up the picture. "Do you think we'll ever be like this again?"

Sasuke looked at the picture Naruto was holding. Sasuke remained silent for a moment before looking at Naruto. The first step to healing was admittance of a wrong deed. Admitting was never easy or painless, but after looking at the picture Sasuke knew it was worth it.

"Yes. It won't happen today or tomorrow. It'll take time, but I think that one day we'll be able to be that carefree again, to smile that way again."

Naruto turned to look at Sasuke and smiled. He had to agree with Sasuke, one day they would be happy like this again.

"So Naruto, are you gonna tell me how you got the bell from Jirayia?"

"That's a secret." He gave Sasuke his best smirk.

"Dobe."

"So Sasuke, how strong are you really?"

It was now Sasuke's turn to smirk, "Shall we go find out?"

--

After the training Sakura had taken her time in walking back home. The walk usually took her 15 minutes, but today it took her an hour. She kept going over everything that happened. She couldn't help but feel as powerless as she did when Naruto and Sasuke fought on the hospital rooftop. 'I hope Naruto is doing okay.'

As she opened the door to the house she noticed two pairs of shoes already at the entrance. She knew who they belonged to. For a moment she doubted they were even home since the house was so quiet. She was halfway to her room when she heard voices coming from Sasuke's room. She knew Naruto was in there talking with Sasuke, so she left to give them some privacy. There was only one other place she could go.

It took her only a few minutes to reach the training ground. Looking around the small clearing all she could see were worn out tree stumps.

"I must have missed him." She walked up to one of the tree stumps and placed her hand on it. She wondered if she should wait for him, but decided against it. 'I shouldn't bother him when he's training.' Sakura knew she had to talk to someone. She debated whether or not to go talk with Kakashi or Tsunade. She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't even notice someone walking up behind her.

"Sakura-chan?"

Startled, Sakura whirled around to see a familiar green jumpsuit and a chuunin vest. She just stood there and looked at him. Lee still wore the same green jumpsuit, not that Sakura complained about it. The suit did a wonderful job at accenting his muscular body. He wasn't as large as Naruto, but Lee was still very well toned. His hair was now shoulder length. He said he was too busy training to cut it, but Sakura liked the length it made him look mature. After he became a chuunin a few girls had shown interest in him, but he had eyes only for Sakura. He was Sakura's and only Sakura's. He was her strength, and she at the moment needed him.

"Sakura-chan?"

Lee was starting to worry. Sakura was just staring at him. He'd never seen her in this state before. Her face looked tired and she was holding back tears. Without warning she closed the gap between them and hugged him. She wrapped her arms around his torso gripping the jumpsuit and buried her face in his chest. He just held her and ran his fingers through her hair. He felt her tears soaking through his suit. It tore at his heart to know she was crying.

Only one thing ever made Sakura cry and that was her team. She cared greatly for both Naruto and Sasuke and sometimes it just got the best of her. Lee knew Naruto wasn't the source of her tears though. Naruto cared about Sakura too much to make her cry. That left only one person. On his way to the training ground he had been stopped by Ino who asked him if the rumors about Sasuke were true. Ino said that she heard he was back. Lee knew nothing, but looking at Sakura now he feared the worst.

Sakura loosened her grip on Lee and took a small step back. "Sorry I interrupted your training."

"You should know by now that you're much more important than my training." The comment caused Sakura to blush. He always knew exactly what to say to her. "Now do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

Sakura wanted to be sitting down while she talked. She kept few secrets from Lee. She had tried to keep secrets from him in the beginning but soon realized that it was causing more harm then good. Somehow he would always tell her what she needed to hear. When they first started dating she wondered if she could ever make him feel the way he made her feel. She was afraid he would leave her for someone else. When she told him about her fears he simply kissed her forehead and told her that he loved her and he would die for her because she was his life.

Now sitting under the tree Lee kept his eyes on Sakura who was staring down at her hands.

"Sasuke came back yesterday."

"So the rumors were true." Shocked, Sakura turned to look at Lee. "Word spreads fast, especially when it's about him."

She simply nodded, knowing it was true. Rumors were always flying around about him. At first people would come to her and Naruto to ask if they were true. But when it became obvious that talking to her and Naruto about Sasuke was doing them both more harm then good, people stopped asking.

"Where is he?"

"He's at the house."

"Is he causing you trouble? I know Naruto won't let him hurt you but if Sasuke does.."

"You don't need to worry." Sakura had to grab Lee's arm to keep him from getting up. She knew he would go to the house and confront Sasuke about her crying. "Everything was fine until today. Kakashi took us out to train and Sasuke accidentally hurt Naruto."

Lee settled back down finally understanding the situation. "I take it Naruto didn't react all too well to that." He had seen what could happen when Naruto was upset. Lee shuddered when he remembered the day Naruto beat up Kiba.

"Jirayia calmed him down. But I just feel so tired."

Lee reached over and pulled her against his side so that her head rested on his shoulder. "We can sit here like this for as long as you want."

'This is why I love him.' Sakura felt like all her worries were being washed away. She could sit here for hours without saying a word and yet feeling like she was telling him everything. She took his hand in hers and examined it. His knuckles were wrapped in bandages covering all the scars. His fingers were calloused and rough, his nails short. She turned the hand over and ran their palms together. Her hand looked so small compared to his.

"Lee, you want to come over for dinner?"

"I don't want to impose."

"No it's okay. Besides Naruto would like to see you again. It's been a while since you've come over."

Truth be told Lee did want to go to the house. He wanted to make sure Sakura would be safe around Sasuke. He trusted Naruto's decision to let Sasuke back into their lives. He knew Naruto would never intentionally put Sakura into a dangerous situation. But Lee had to make sure.

Lee stood up and helped Sakura stand as well. "Let me go home and shower first. I'll meet you at your place."

Sakura smiled warmly at Lee. He couldn't resist himself and leaned in to give her a kiss. He held her face in his hands and kissed her slowly. The kiss was warm and innocent. He always took his time kissing her, almost like he was kissing her for the first time. Sakura felt as if she was floating. She reached up and grabbed his forearms. Thinking it was a sign for him to go further, he tried to deepen the kiss, but as soon as she noticed his intentions she pulled away from the kiss.

His face was flushed and his eyes were full of passion, and yet Sakura couldn't bring herself to kiss him deeply. She was nervous about the whole thing. She wanted to take things slow. She wasn't ready for all the things that came along with being in a relationship. She knew she loved him, and yet she hadn't told him yet. She would one day, but not now. She was too scared and tired to tell him.

Lee knew why she pulled away. She was scared. But he would wait. He was a patient man. He took a step back and gave her his best "Good Guy" smile.

"I'll see you soon." With that he kissed her forehead and ran off.

--

The first thing Sakura noticed when she walked in the house was the silence. She looked in every room and found nothing. Nothing was broken or out of place. 'They must have gone for a walk or something.' Thinking nothing was wrong Sakura went to the kitchen and started dinner.

She was almost done with dinner when Lee knocked on the door. She let him in and went back to the kitchen to finish dinner. Lee noticed the house was unusually quiet.

"Where is Naruto-kun and Sasuke?"

"I don't know. They were here before I went to see you. But when I got back they were gone."

Feeling useless, Lee started to set the table. He would have helped her cook, but for life of him he didn't know his way around a kitchen. Just as he finished Sakura informed him that she was done making dinner.

"I think we should wait for them. Naruto gets mad whenever I start eating dinner before he gets back." Lee was about to comment when the door flew open revealing two very tired and dirty genins.

"I beat you." Naruto was too busy taking off his shoes to catch the look Sasuke threw him.

"No you didn't. You fought dirty."

"I did not."

"What in the world happened?" Both Naruto and Sasuke looked up to see Sakura walking up to them. She quickly began to examine Sasuke, knowing that whatever injuries Naruto had were probably already healed.

"Sorry to worry you Sakura." Naruto hated making Sakura worry. He knew she was more on edge now that Sasuke was back, especially after the training today.

"Leave it Sakura, they'll heal." Sasuke didn't want Sakura worrying over a few cuts and bruises. He'd had worse. But when Sasuke tried to push her away, she didn't leave. She slapped his hand away instead.

"I'll heal them right now, then we can eat dinner." She quickly began gathering chakra to her hands and started passing it over his cuts. As soon as she was done all four of them went to the table and sat down.

"Thank you Sakura. But those cuts would have healed in a few days." Sakura just smile at Sasuke. She had decided long ago that if she could she would make sure her team was healthy and safe.

"Were you two sparring?" Lee was still unsure about how he should act around Sasuke, so he decided to start with something safe and neutral.

"Yup and I won."

Sasuke could feel his eyebrow twitching. "Dobe."

"Naruto-kun it's been a while since you've sparred with me. I wonder if you've improved some."

"I'll spar with you the next time I get the chance. And don't think that just because you have that vest that I can't beat you too."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the interaction between her teammates and boyfriend. She was happy that they had moved past what had happened earlier. All four of them engaged in quiet chitchat as they ate dinner.

Sasuke was currently sitting in the living room waiting for Naruto to get out of the shower so he could take one. Lee had joined him a while ago after Sakura kicked him out of the kitchen for breaking a glass.

"It's good to see Naruto and Sakura happy again."

"It's just good to see them again." Sasuke had a faint idea where Lee was going with the conversation.

"I must be honest with you Sasuke. I came here tonight for one reason; to see if she would be safe around you." Lee half expected Sasuke to get angry with him for thinking he was dangerous. Instead Sasuke just sat there and said nothing. "It's not that I don't trust Naruto's decision. I just wanted to check for myself."

"You really care for her don't you?"

"I would die for her."

"They are all I have left." Sasuke turned to look Lee in the face. "I won't hurt them, you can trust me on that if on nothing else."

Lee saw the look Sasuke gave him. It was a look he had seen on Naruto's face whenever he declared his intentions. "I'm glad you came back home Sasuke-kun. The suffering has gone on for too long."

Sasuke noticed the change in Lee's attitude toward him. He could only hope that the rest of the village would be so forgiving. Sasuke looked over at Sakura as she entered the living room.

"When should we tell people you're back?"

Sasuke was about to answer when they heard Naruto screaming. Sasuke, Sakura and Lee took off running toward the bathroom. They were half way to the bathroom when Kakashi walked out of the bathroom. Behind him was Naruto, dripping wet with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Here." Kakashi handed Sakura the paperwork he was holding. Looking down at it she realized it was the application for the chuunin exam.

"They're to be turned in tomorrow by 3pm if you plan on participating." Kakashi walked past them and out the door as if there was nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Why can't we have a normal sensei?!" Naruto was fuming, not with anger but embarrassment. Kakashi had walked in on him just as he was getting out of the shower. Naruto was busy flexing his muscles when he noticed Kakashi standing behind him. Without waiting for an answer Naruto walked into his room slamming the door behind him.

Sasuke started walking toward his room to retrieve the things he needed for his shower. As he walked past Sakura he said, "I'll announce my return at the chuunin exam."

----

My chapters are getting longer and longer.

I think those books Kakashi reads are getting to him. ::giggles::

What did everyone think of the interaction between Sakura and Lee?? Isn't he just the sweetest thing ever?? I swear I'll have more Lee antics later. I didn't want to throw in a random comedic Lee moment just for the hell of it.

The next chapter is gonna be all about the chuunin exam and Sasuke's re-introduction. I'll announce who I kept as genins and who I let pass, even though I already announced what level three people are at in this chapter.

Oh that reminds me, I was planning on being really short on certain parts of the exam. I don't think people are really interested on the first part of the exam, you know the test. I probably won't have a prelim either. I do plan on writing about all the tournament fights though, cause well those are the most exciting. Also instead of having a chuunin exam every six months like in the series, in my fic its one every year. Why you ask? Well because its my fic and I said so. :P

You know the drill, comments, suggestions, flames, bank account numbers………..


	7. Lucky

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (insert sarcastic reason here).**

**Pale Rider: I saw Lee as being thrown in the middle of something he can't fix. So I made him come out as kinda neutral. It's not really his place to try and fix things. As for the Tsnade's punishment, there won't be one….that was the point. About the members of the "Mission" I have a few in this chapter. There will be more to come later. I have taken your vote into consideration. **

**nonengel - I agree, Lee is more then just comic relief. When he's not around Gai he's a pretty serious guy (no pun intended). The same thing can be said about Gai. **

**Shinobi36 – I didn't mean to make you cry. I swear that was not my intention when I wrote that part. My true intention was to get the ball rolling on their relationship, but I don't want to just jump into something steamy without any background. Oh and thanks for the help on the forum. **

**----**

**Chapter 7: Lucky**

The door looked like any other door. In fact he's seen and been through doors like this before. There was nothing extra special about this door. But for Naruto this door meant so much more. This door was his future, but also his past. Glancing to the upper right corner of the door he saw the sign labeled "301". How many people have walked through this door before? How many lives have been changed because of this door? How much will his life change because of this door? He took a step forward and grabbed the doorknob.

"You guys ready?" No one said anything, but Naruto knew the answer to his question when he heard Sakura and Sasuke take a step forward. 'This is it.' Upon opening the door Naruto and Sakura stood on the threshold. The room was full of nervous genins. The room had divided itself based on village. Looking over to the left Naruto saw the genins from the Leaf. All of them looked at Naruto and Sakura in shock.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Kiba was walking toward them slowly, almost as if he half expected them to take off running. Both Naruto and Sakura took a step forward and apart. Sasuke stepped up to stand between them. The whole thing happened so flawlessly and gracefully. It was almost choreographed. A silent hush fell over the room. Every pair of eyes was planted on Sasuke. Randomly the word "Uchiha" and "Uzumaki" can be heard in the room. Sakura turned to walk toward the Leaf occupied area, the boys follow her closely.

Standing in front of his old comrades, Sasuke suddenly got very nervous. He really didn't care whether or not they wanted him back. They could all hate him until his last dying breath. What he was worried about was that with his return everyone else would turn their backs on Naruto and Sakura. He knew he had the backing of Lee, but that was because he knew so much about what had happened. These people probably didn't know the reason for his departure three years ago. They didn't know about his travels, his suffering, his reason for coming back. They could do to him anything they wanted, just as long as they didn't lay a finger or throw a glare at his precious people.

"Sasuke?" Choji had been so shocked when Sasuke walked in that he had dropped his bag of chips. He wanted to make sure the person in front of him was Sasuke and not an imposter because if it were an imposter they would have to pay dearly for his chips.

The group was still in shock. Kiba just stared at them, Choji was on the floor picking up his chips, and Hinata was covering her mouth with her hands. Three years away and the only change Sasuke noticed in Kiba and Choji was that they had gotten taller. Akamaru now reached Kiba's knees. Hinata had changed quite a bit though. Gone was the winter coat she always wore. In its place was a form fitting purple shirt. The sleeves went all the way down to her wrists and around the neck one could see hints of a fishnet shirt. She still wore the same traditional shinobi pants and shoes though. Hinata's hair was still cut in the same style, and she still wore her forehead protector around her neck. Most of the change Sasuke noticed was in her demeanor and eyes. She no longer gave off a shy, submissive vibe. She was confident and strong. She was now a force to be reckoned with.

Naruto was starting to get uncomfortable with all the staring. 'Someone please say something.'

"When did you get back?" Kiba was referring to Sasuke.

"A few days ago." Just when the group thought they couldn't get even more shocked, they were. A few days back and they were already taking the chuunin exam! Kiba and Choji half expected that Naruto would make it extra difficult for Sasuke to return. But this, this was unheard of.

"Naruto, how are you?" Hinata knew that Sasuke was always a sensitive issue with Naruto. Over the years her crush on Naruto hadn't died out. Gone though was her stuttering. She was now able to have full conversations with him without spitting all over him or turning a bright red.

"I'm great! I can't wait to for the exam to start!"

"Oye Hinata." She turned to see Kiba motioning for her to join him. "You, me and Choij have to talk. We might need to change our plan." The arrival to Team 7 changed everything. They were one of the strongest teams a few years ago and Kiba could only imagine how strong they were now.

As Hinata walked off, Sakura suddenly realized that Sasuke had no idea who was still a genin and who wasn't.

"How could I have forgotten to tell you?" The boys turned to look at Sakura, completely confused at her comment. She motioned for them to huddle closer together. "Lee, and Neji became chuunins two years ago and Shino and Tenten last year."

"Oh it was great. The last match in the tournament was Lee and Neji." Naruto was making exaggerated movements with his arms to show just how great the last match was. Sasuke made a mental note to talk to Lee about the match the next time he gets a chance. He had never gotten a chance to see Neji in action. He knew Neji was a strong opponent and that Naruto had beaten him.

"So now the team is Hinata, Kiba and Choij. Ino decided that she was happy being a genin. She actually helps Iruka-sensei at the school."

Sasuke took in everything that Sakura said. He was coming up with strategies in his head when he sensed something. He was about to comment on it to Naruto and Sakura when he heard a small voice come from behind Naruto.

"Naruto-ni-chan?" Naruto turned to see Konohamaru standing behind him. The young boy was taller then Sasuke remembered. He couldn't be more then 12 years old. Konohamaru was looking at Naruto as if he were a ghost.

"Hey Konohamaru, I didn't know you were taking the exam too."

"Yeah, I'm really excited." It was obvious Konohamaru had spent too much time around Naruto when the grin he gave matched Naruto's exactly.

"Well I wish you the best of luck. If you don't mind I have to talk to my team."

"Oh yeah I understand. Good luck Ni-chan." Konohamaru quickly ran off to join his teammates who had watched the whole thing from a corner. They didn't join Konohamaru because they were scared of Sasuke. They all knew the story behind his disappearance and how he had hurt their Leader.

As soon as the young boy had run off the group fell silent. Naruto didn't want Konohamaru around if something bad were to happen, which it most likely will. He cared for Konohamaru too much to let the kid get hurt.

"You noticed it too Naruto?" Sakura had sensed the problem almost as soon as Sasuke had. She would have commented on it sooner had Konohamaru not approached them. Usually Naruto would have joked with the boy, but she knew why he told him to leave.

"They've been staring at us since we walked in." Naruto turned to look at the group of Sound Nin's that were standing together. "Sasuke, do you know them?"

"Orochimaru didn't let me interact with many ninjas. I might have meet them once, but I'm not sure."

"Did everyone in Sound know who you were?"

"Yes."

Sakura was about to ask a question when a Sound Nin started to approach them. He was of medium build with black hair and eyes. He has a scar that ran from his left temple, over his eye across his nose and past the right side of his mouth ending at the jaw line. His forehead protector is wrapped around his head in such an angle that it almost runs parallel to the scar on his face. He wore a black hood jacket with dark blue designs on the bottom. He carried with him an aura of confidence and danger. As he approached them he stood directly in front of Sasuke, never once looking at Sakura or Naruto.

"Uchiha-sama, it's good to see you are doing well. Kabuto-sensei missed you. He would like to see you again." His voice was deep and even. Yet as he spoke he gave the impression that he had wanted to say so much more.

"Kabuto is here?" Naruto couldn't believe it. Kabuto, the man who tired to kill him and Tsunade so long ago. The man who was Orochimaru's right hand. The man now in charge of the Sound Village was here.

The Sound Nin completely ignored Naruto's question and continued to address only Sasuke. "Uchiha-sama, tell me, why did you leave the Sound? Were you not happy there, because it seemed to me that you were?"

Sasuke didn't like where the conversation was going. He knew what the Sound Nin was trying to do, and he didn't like it. He knew that every eye in the room was now looking at him, waiting for his answer. He would have said something if Naruto had not decided to stand in front of him, essentially ending the conversation.

"We don't associate with people from the Sound." Naruto had heard enough. He didn't like the way the Sound Nin was talking to Sasuke, or the way he sounded when he mentioned Kabuto, and he especially didn't like the way the guy ignored his question.

"Don't talk to me as if you know anything about the Sound." The anger was evident in his voice. Behind him two more Sound Nin's appeared. One had long white hair and a metal plate that covered his left eye. He wore a black jumpsuit. His forehead protector was wrapped loosely around his waist. Attached to his back in the form of an X were two long red sticks. The other nin had red hair and blue eyes. He wore a traditional male kimono, all black. His face was flawless and very young looking. He wore his forehead protector the traditional way as well, around his forehead. It was obvious that both were teammates with the black haired nin and they had approached to back him up if anything were to happen.

The tension in the room was heavy. Every eye was on him and Sasuke. He knew he would have to choose his words carefully so not make to the situation worse then it already was. Naruto was running possible comebacks in his head when he heard Kiba say something from behind him.

"Is there a problem?" Team 7 turned to see every leaf ninja in the room standing behind them. Sasuke couldn't believe what he was seeing. They were all standing next to Sasuke in support of him and Naruto.

The black haired Sound Nin made a grunting noise and walked away. He knew when he was in over his head. He had nothing to worry about though, his chance would come soon enough. The white haired nin also turned and walked away. The red haired ninja bowed at Sasuke then turned to follow his two other teammates.

Kiba walked up to Sasuke. He was only inches from Sasuke's face before he stopped advancing. "We didn't do that for you, and don't you forget it." He didn't have to say it but Sasuke knew. They had all done it for Naruto. They hated him and loved Naruto. Sasuke knew now that the only reason the ninjas in the room hadn't attacked him as soon as he walked through the door was because of Naruto. Naruto was respected among the Leaf ninjas, where as Sasuke wasn't. Naruto had spent his entire life trying to get people to recognize him for the great ninja that he was, and he succeeded. What had Sasuke done? He had betrayed those close to him.

"Never a dull moment with you guys around." Sakura had to lighten the mood again. She didn't like the dark mood that was coming over the boys. If laughter lightened Naruto's mood, it might work on Sasuke's as well. She really didn't have much time to figure out if her tactic worked because at that moment Ibiki walked in announcing the start of the exam.

The written exam was a lot easier then Naruto remembered. He actually wrote something down on the exam this time around. He knew the 10th question was the only one that mattered, but he still wanted to test out his information gathering skills. By the time the written exam was over more then half the room was gone. When everything was said and done only ten teams passed.

The teams that passed didn't have to wait long for the new examiner to announce their presence. Instead of jumping in through the window like last time, Anko kicked in the back door sending it flying across the room. Upon impact the door not only shattered into a million pieces but also broke the chalkboard. Needless to say Ibiki was not too happy about that.

" I see you've cut down the group a lot this year." Anko looked around the room seeing a few familiar faces. "The next part of the exam will take place tomorrow at Practice Area #44 at noon. If you are late you will fail the exam, so please be there on time. Make sure you have enough supplies as well." Anko smiled evilly and before anyone could ask a question she walked out the room the way she came.

_Later that night_

Naruto looked over at his alarm clock for the nth time that night. Only two minutes had passed since the last time he looked. He was too excited and anxious about the exam tomorrow. The Forest of Death changed everyone's life last time they entered it. Images of Orochimaru and giant snakes ran through his head. Deciding that laying in bed wasn't helping, Naruto got up and walked out of his room. The house was silent, so he walked silently to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Naruto almost threw his glass at Sasuke, who was sitting in the living. After regaining his composure Naruto walked over to the living room and sat down. "Nope. Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"Not really." Sasuke knew his team was strong enough to pass the chuunin exam this time around. The little he had seen was more then enough to make him confident. The reason he wasn't able to sleep was because images of Orochimaru kept going through is head. Even though the man was dead he had left a deep impression on Sasuke.

"I see I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep." Sakura had gotten up to get a glass of water. She wasn't really surprised to see the others awake as well.

"We should come up with a game plan." Sasuke didn't want a repeat of the last time they took the exam. Too many mistakes were made. With a plan they could make it through the forest faster and get the whole thing over with.

For the next hour they planned as much as they could for the Forest of Death. Most of their time was spent coming up with ways on communicating in complete silence. Different signals were created, each meaning a different thing. Sasuke hoped that Naruto's memory had gotten better in the last three years.

"We should come up with a code phrase like the first time."

"Good idea Sakura-chan." Thankfully Naruto had worked on his memorization skills, so memorizing something long and complicated didn't worry him.

" I think we should use the code phrase Naruto used last time." Both Naruto and Sakura were giving Sasuke strange looks. Neither one of them remembered the phrase Naruto used. Sasuke had one of his trademark smirks planted on his face. "I forgot it."

"Bastard!"

_The Next Day_

The remaining teams listened with intense interest at the rules for the second part of the exam. When she was done, Anko passed out the release forms. After they were done filling out all the paperwork, Team 7 went to receive their scroll. The scroll they received had the mark of Heaven on it. It was decided the night before that Sakura would be the one to carry the scroll since Naruto and especially Sasuke were more likely to be attacked.

Once everyone had received their scroll, Anko informed them that they were to go to the gates and wait for the exam to begin. As the teams walked away she couldn't stop herself from watching Sasuke. He was now free of Orochimaru along with her. But she knew that people like him always have more demons then they're aware of.

"Let's just get the other scroll and get this over with. I don't want to wait until the very end like last time." Naruto was growing impatient. He felt as though he might explode from excitement.

The jounin guarding the gate smirked at Naruto's comment. 'So they've failed the exam before.'

"What's so funny?"

"Naruto, calm down." Sakura held back the urge to pull on Naruto's ear. When Naruto was worked up even Jirayia had a hard time controlling him.

"Naruto? Are you guys Kakashi's team?" They all nodded in agreement. The jounin's sudden change in attitude caught them all by surprise, even Naruto got quiet. "I thought his team got disbanded."

Sasuke didn't know his team was so well known, but it never hurt to be a little cocky. "Well you thought wrong. How much longer do we have to wait?"

Looking down at his watch the jounin said, "Just a few more seconds." He quickly began to unlock the gate. Resting his hand on the latch to open the gate he began to count down the seconds.

"Three"

The three genins looked at each other and smirked.

"Two"

They crouched down.

"One."

The jounin was never able to open the gate because just as he said one a sudden gust of wind forced him to cover his face. When he looked up the gate was still closed but the team was gone. Looking inside the gate he was able to catch a glance of the team before the trees swallowed them up.

"So the rumors were true."

_Inside the Forest_

The forest was just as dark and ominous as Naruto remembered it. As he jumped from tree to tree he kept his senses on alert for any possible attacks or other teams that might not have noticed their approach. Sasuke stopped abruptly and pointed down to a small clearing. "I sense some people down there."

The team approached the area as quietly as possible. As they rounded a tree they spotted the other people. It was Konohamaru's team. They were hiding inside a hollow tree. The team seemed to be planning something. Naruto got up, not caring if the team inside the tree saw him. "Let's find another team."

"But Naruto…" Sakura knew it was a little cruel to go after such a young team, but she wanted to get this portion of the test over with.

"No."

"Fine. Let's keep moving then." Sasuke understood why Naruto didn't want to go after the team. They were young, inexperienced and no match for them. They might accidentally kill one of them, and that would crush Naruto.

It had been a few hours since they left the tree with Konohamaru, and they hadn't seen or sensed anyone else. Sasuke was starting to get slightly annoyed. He had a sneaking suspicion that everyone was avoiding them. It was nice that his team was feared so much, but this was just getting on his nerves. By now Sasuke just wanted to beat the crap out of someone, he didn't care if they cared the Heaven scroll, he just wanted to hit something.

It seemed Sasuke's prayers had been answered. He finally sensed a team approaching them. He was about to announce it to the others when a kunai flew past him and cut Sakura on the shoulder.

"Lucky."

---

DUN DUN DUN!!! I couldn't help it, those guys are just too much fun. This is the first chapter I've posted without having written the chapter that follows. I kinda already have an idea of how the fighting is going to go though.

Now I must say that I had wanted to avoid OC's at all costs, but the way the story was going I had to make some characters. I couldn't bring back any Sound Nin's cause well there aren't any. The white haired Sound Nin was designed by my lil bro. He also came up with the techniques used. As for the red haired nin, I'm going to be using the info Shinobi gave me. He gave me a lot to work with, THANKS!! The designs for the other two were all me.

I will be writing in as much detail as possible the fights during the tournaments, especially for the OC's.

Lastly I would like to say that I might start skipping large sections of time. My intention is not to make the story less interesting, but to make the story progress faster. If this is a problem, please let me know.

Okay you know the drill. Fax or snail mail me your reviews, questions and credit cards.


	8. Playing the Game

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (enter sarcastic reason here).**

**nonengel -** Lee vs. Neji would be so cool. I would pay good money to see that. As for those who passed, well I took into consideration who I felt should pass (Lee, Neji and Shino) then I threw in the those I don't think I could write (TenTen and Shino).

**Pyr00tje** – I'm sorry to say this, but there will not be a Naru/Ino pairing. I can't stand Ino. As for the Naru/Hina thing, yeah a lot of them are done really cheesy like. Don't know yet if I'm gonna go there though.

**Like to thank my beta…….even though at times she's really evil. ::hides under desk::**

**Chapter 8: Playing the game**

_It seemed Sasuke's prayers had been answered. He finally sensed a team approaching them. He was about to announce it to the others when a kunai flew past him and cut Sakura on the shoulder. _

"_Lucky."_

Looking into the trees the team sees the team from the Hidden Rain Village.

"You guys again. I swear you guys never get tired of getting your asses kicked by us." Naruto was tired of facing these guys. The last time he saw these guys was during the trip to the Tea Country to help Idate. If he could have it his way, he would never see these guys again. They were really annoying, and always had new tricks up their sleeves.

"This time it will be different." The leader, the one who doesn't have his eyes covered talks. He still wears that funny mouth piece so his voice sounds muffled. "This time you will lose."

Naruto and Sasuke get into a fighting stance. Already both are running through all possible means of attack. They know the Rain Nins will use illusions, and lots of them. But before either of them gets a chance to attack Sakura walks past them. "Let me."

From behind she is a sight to behold. There is blood running down her arm and back, almost reaching her waist. Her fists are clinched, and there is smoke coming from her now healing wound.

"You sure?" Naruto grabs Sasuke's arm stopping him from approaching Sakura. He pulls Sasuke away from the group.

"Don't worry she'll be fine." Sasuke hesitates for a moment, but decides to trust Naruto. Naruto would never put her in a situation he knew she couldn't handle, but that didn't mean Sasuke wouldn't be ready to jump in if he felt she couldn't handle it anymore.

"She's a great genjutsu user. She's also gotten pretty good with taijutsu since she started dating Lee. Don't worry so much, if she's in trouble she'll ask for help." Naruto had experienced her genjutsus first hand, and on many occasions he would spend hours trying to get out of them. She was good, she was really good. She was also deadly. There were only two things that put her in a death to all state: when she was pissed or when she was protecting someone. At the moment she was really pissed.

Sakura and the Rain Nin's were looking at each other. Her anger just kept raising as the Nin's continued to mock and tease her. They under estimated her. The one they were really after was Sasuke, but if to get to him they had to go through her so be it.

"Hey Sasuke, can you do me a favor? Can you tell me when she starts using genjutsu?" Sasuke shot Naruto a confused look. Why would he need to tell Naruto when she uses genjutsu? Usually you either hear the name of the jutsu being called out or you can sense the jutsu being used.

Noticing the look Naruto got he felt obligated to explain. He didn't want the Rain Nins to hear so he leaned in close to Sasuke. "You see she's real quiet when she says the names. I swear at times her mouth moves but nothing comes out. She had to start doing that when we started training together. It was easier for me to get out of the illusion if I knew what it was. Also her control over chakra is amazing."

If what Naruto said was true then this was going to be one interesting fight. Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke turned back to Sakura. "I'll let you know if we need to move."

Sakura had finally come up with a plan in her head. The mocking was getting on her nerves and the faster she messed up the Nin's the better. Slowly reaching into her shuriken holster she pulls out a handful. She watches them go into a defensive stance. Being strong in genjutsu usually means being weak in taijutsu. She quickly lunges at the Nin standing in the middle while aiming her shuriken at the two standing at his sides. The two Nin's run to avoid the projectiles as Sakura begins to engage in a taijutsu match with the remaining Nin. Sensing the two Nin's approaching her from behind she grabs the one in front of her. Spinning him, she throws him at the other two.

Hitting the floor the bodies turn into mud. Crouching down Sakura begins to go through hand seals. She paused in the middle of her seals and looked behind her upon sensing the Nin's appear. She quickly turned back and continued her seals.

"Stop her!"

Two of the Nin's run at her, kunai's in hand. They both attack her at the same time, forcing her to spend her time defending and not attacking. Blocking an attack aimed for her head the Nin grabs her arm. Sensing an attack from behind, Sakura goes to kick the Nin, but he ends up grabbing her leg. Before she gets a chance to do anything the third Nin starts to climb out of the mud. A panicked look flashes on her face. She turns to look for Sasuke and Naruto, only to see them collapsed on the floor.

"I used a jutsu on them. They won't be waking up anytime soon." Sakura turns to look at the Nin infront of her. He pulls out a kunai and twirls it in his hand. "It ends here."

Sakura can't help but smile. "Yes, it ends here." With a loud pop and cloud of smoke the girl in front of them disappears. Before they can even register what happened, a pink flash runs past them hitting pressure points along their necks. All three Rain Nin's fall to the floor.

"That was nice Sakura." She turns to see Naruto walking up to her with a smile on his face. He motions over to the fake Naruto and Sasuke lying on the floor. "You can get rid of that illusion."

As Sakura goes about canceling the illusion Sasuke can't help but feel a bit jealous. It wasn't the jutsus she used, they were quite common, it was how she used them. She made the Nin's think she never finished her jutsu since she made no noise, when in reality she had done two jutsus. Her acting was great, as well as her timing.

"Hey Sasuke, get over here and help us find the scroll." Coming out of his daze Sasuke walked over to Naruto and smacked his head.

"Do you want to wake them up before we search them?" Naruto was about to punch Sasuke when Sakura spoke up.

"Oh, don't worry they won't wake up for a few days." Both boys turned to look at her. "Lee taught me. Oh look an Earth Scroll."

"Yes!" Naruto can't help but hide his excitement. With the other scroll in their possession they could go to the tower. It takes the team a day to reach the tower. It might have taken longer, but they were not confronted by anyone. Upon reaching the tower, they enter one of the rooms. On the wall is the same poem as before. Not bothering to read it they simply open the scrolls and wait to see who appears.

As the cloud dissipates they see none other then Iruka standing before them.

"Iruka-sensei!"

"Ahh Naru…." Iruka is quickly tackled by the overly excited Naruto. Over the years the two had gotten very close. Whenever there was a problem that Naruto couldn't handle he would go see Iruka. Iruka never forgot to celebrate Naruto's birthday, even if there were those in the village who would take that day to be extra mean to Naruto. They would also celebrate the day Naruto graduated from the academy. Every year they would go back to the tree Naruto had received his forehead protector under. They would spend the day there, eating, reminiscing about the past and talking about the future.

Even though Iruka would remind Naruto of the dangers of being a ninja, and would constantly reprimand him for his bad deeds, he couldn't help but notice the growth. Naruto pulled fewer pranks then before. When he did they were no longer to get attention but to make someone feel better. Iruka also noticed that when Naruto would talk about the things he did on missions, he exaggerated less. When he would finish he would wait for Iruka to give him advice on how he could improve or praise him on his good choices. On many occasions Iruka would catch himself telling Naruto things his father had told him. Was he a father figure to Naruto? Only Naruto could tell him that, and Iruka was too scared to ask.

"Naruto, let Iruka-sensei get up." Sakura was trying to pull Naruto off Iruka, but was failing miserably. It was then that Iruka noticed the blood on Sakura's clothing.

"Sakura, are you okay?"

"Oh I'm fine. It's already healed up."

After making sure for himself that Sakura was fine, Iruka stood in front of his former students. "I'm glad you completed this part of the exam. You did it much faster then before. Was the forest easy this year?"

"No, we're just too skilled for it." Sasuke couldn't help but sound overly confident in his comment.

"Sasuke, we're not that good."

"Sakura it's okay, you three did very good."

"Are we the first one's here?"

"Actually I don't know. Why don't you go into the waiting area and find out." The three turn to leave, but as Naruto walks past Iruka he can't help but pull the man into a hug.

--

When they enter the waiting area they find out they are not the first ones to arrive. The Sound Nin's from before are there. All three of them were covered in mud, and what seemed like dry blood. The one who had approached Sasuke before the start of the exams was looking extra pale. He had his hood jacket wrapped around himself tightly. The short red-haired Nin clung to him, helping him walk. The white-haired Nin walked in front of the two, as if shielding them. The Sound Nin's finally notice the presence of Team 7 and they all turn to stare at each other. The white-haired Nin starts walking toward Sasuke, but is stopped by the red head.

"Don't." His voice is soft, almost innocent. If it weren't for the Sound emblem he wore one would have guessed he was from a peaceful village.

"Fine." The white-haired Nin's voice was a sharp contrast to the red head's. It was deep, but void of any emotions. He turned and walked out of the room with the other two close behind him.

The team spent their time sitting and waiting to be called to the main hall. They took turns taking naps to regain some of their strength back. It wasn't until much later the next day that they sensed the presence of Kiba's team in the building. A few hours later they were summoned to the main hall. Naruto can't help but feel a little worried about Konohamaru. 'I hope he's okay?'

Inside they stood in straight lines facing a large group of people. There was Tsunade, Kakashi, Kurenai, all the chuunin and jounin examiners. There was also a man wearing a black hooded cloak. Even though his face was hidden the team assumes he is the sensei of the sound. Sasuke can't help but feel a cold shiver crawl up his spine. 'Is he looking at me?'

Looking around the room, surprise is evident on Tsunade's face. Only three teams passed the exam this year. "Well seeing that so few passed, I see no reason to hold preliminaries. I will now introduce the examiner for the third and final exam."

She steps aside and one of the examiners steps forward. "My name is Genma. The tournament will be held in one month. Please use that month to recover and train. During the tournament there is one rule: there are no rules. If you are knocked out, killed or give up you lose. If I decide to end the match because there is clearly a winner do not argue with my decision. My decisions are final."

He turns and takes a basket from one of the shinobi's standing behind him. "Now please pick a number from the basket. When I ask, please tell me your name and number."

Before Genma is able to approach the teams, the cloaked Sound Nin raises his hand. "Um, Genma, I don't think I will be participating in the tournament."

"Why not? Any injury you have will more then likely be healed by then."

"I do not think a month will heal this." The pale nin opens his cloak to reveal that he is missing an arm. Without warning the man who was wearing the black hood is standing next to the Nin.

"I'm sorry sensei. I was careless." There is shame evident in his voice.

The Sound Nin's sensei shakes his head, dismissing the apology. Turning to Tsunade he asks, "Hokage-sama, may I take my student to the hospital?"

"Of course you may." With that the two turn and walk toward the doors.

--

Sakura can't help but notice that the hooded nin's voice sounded so familiar. She knew Sasuke recognized the voice as well because as soon as the man spoke his shoulders went rigid.

Naruto recognized the voice as well, but unlike Sakura he knew who the man was.

"Sasuke was that….." Sasuke nods before Naruto finishes his question.

"Is there anyone else who feels they cannot participate in the tournament?" When no one raises their hand Genma continues. "Then please line up."

After everyone has pulled out a number Genma stands in front of them, clipboard in hand. "Please tell me your name and number."

"Inuzuka Kiba, 4."

"Hyuuga Hinata, 8."

"Akimichi Choji, 5."

"Haruno Sakura, 7."

"Uchiha Sasuke, 3."

"Uzumaki Naruto, 6."

Naruto can't help but turn to look at the Sound Nin's. He was curious as to what their names were. The white-haired nin was to answer first followed by the red head.

"Tenma Hibiki, 2."

"Shenron Ryo, 1"

After some final scribbling Genma turns the clipboard around so everyone can see who they get to face first.

(Block One)

Shenron Ryo

Vs.

Tenma Hibiki

Uchiha Sasuke

Vs.

Inuzuka Kiba

(Block Two)

Akimichi Choji

Vs.

Uzumaki Naruto

Haruno Sakura

Vs.

Hyuuga Hinata

"Ah shit, I face Sasuke first."

"I'm gonna have to train extra hard with Lee for this."

"I'm not on the same block as Sasuke."

"I'll finally get to see Naruto in action."

Tsunade waited patiently for everyone to memorize the chart. Standing next to Genma she looks at all the genins. This years tournament was going to be interesting. "We will see you in a month. You are now excused."

The Sound Nin's immediately turn and leave, more then likely heading to the hospital. The two remaining teams wait for their sensei's to approach them before leaving. Kakashi follows his team home, he needs to talk to them.

"Kakashi are you going to visit?" Sakura was worried, he had been following them for some time now and hadn't said a word. Even though she could only see his eye, she was able to read his emotions quite well.

"Yes, is it alright?"

"Oh it's fine."

"It's about him isn't it?" Sasuke's voice was cold. Not cold as in void of emotion, it was a different kind of cold. A coldness that scared Naruto.

"Yes."

Five minutes had passed since arriving at the house. All four of them sat around the table. There was no food, no tea, no talking, just tense silence.

Naruto finally broke the silence. "That man, was he really…."

"Kabuto. Yes he was." Kakashi finished the sentence for Naruto. He didn't fail to notice Sasuke lean back in his chair, crossing his arms and legs. He also noticed Sakura gasp slightly. She had recognized the voice, but it wasn't until Kakashi said the name did she finally realize who it was.

"I came here to tell you something important. Don't interrupt me until I am done." When his students didn't say anything he continued. "As you may know Kabuto is now in charge of the Sound Village. He has approached the Hokage and asked to attend the chuunin tournament. She had to accept, as a sign of peace. He is not to be touched. Any aggression toward him can be taken as a sign of war. Konoha cannot handle another war. Even though it's been three years since the last attack, we have just barely started to recover."

When he sighed deeply, Sakura took it as a sign that he was done and asked a question. "Do you think he'll seek out Sasuke?"

"He might, we don't know."

"No he won't." All eyes turn to Naruto. He's looking at the tabletop, but has a stern look on his face. "I won't let him. I just got you back and I won't let him take you away. Let's leave, the three of us. Train somewhere else for a month, somewhere he won't find us."

Kakashi didn't really like the idea of hiding, but there wasn't much of a choice. He wanted to make sure his students were safe, especially Naruto. Some of the lost warmth was finally returning to his eyes, and Kakashi wanted to make sure it stayed there. "Sasuke do you object to that idea?"

Thinking it over quickly Sasuke shakes his head.

"Um, I had planned on staying and training with Lee. Especially now that I'm facing Hinata."

"Lee can't come with us, he has missions." Naruto didn't want to leave without Sakura, but she did need to train with Lee. He was the only one who could teach Sakura how to fight a Hyuuga. But he didn't want to short change her by forcing her to leave, but he also didn't want to leave her behind.

"I can have him stay here with me, so you don't have to worry about me." Sakura saw the sadness in Naruto's face. As much as she wanted to go with them, she had to stay behind.

"Will he agree to that?"

"Sasuke don't act like you don't know Lee." Naruto's comment made Sakura blush.

"So, guys, is it okay if I supervise your training?" Kakashi wanted to make sure his students would be prepared for the tournament. If Lee was anything like Gai when it came to teaching, Sakura would be in good hands.

Sasuke nodded.

"Can you ask Jirayia if he'll come too? I know there's more he can teach me." Kakashi was relieved Naruto mentioned Jirayia. He had planned on inviting the hermit. There was only so much Kakashi could teach Naruto. Jirayia was a better-suited teacher for Naruto.

"Sure. When do you want to leave?"

"How about as soon as we tell Tsunade- no baachan."

---

In the month before the tournament all participants trained, and hard.

Kiba and Akamaru could be heard in the forest at times barking and knocking trees over. Sometimes Shino would join him and help him train; other times it was Kiba's sister. Choji trained with his father, who was very proud of his son. He would repeatedly tell Choji that even if he didn't win, he was still proud at how strong he had become. Shikamaru would also help Choji train. Even though he said it was a hassle, Choji knew he enjoyed helping. Hinata trained with Neji. He helped her hone her skills. When she approached her father to ask if he would spar with her, he smiled and said "I would be happy to." She had come close to winning on many occasions. At the end of each sparring match he would ruffle her hair affectionately and say "You've made me very proud." Sakura trained with Lee. She asked him not to go easy on her simply because they were dating. Even though he agreed he did hold back in the beginning, but soon realized she could handle everything he threw at her. Her speed had increased dramatically, as well as her strength. She also trained to better her genjutsu. Even though he could not help her in that area, he would let her use him as a guinea pig.

No one had heard word of Naruto or Sasuke. It wasn't until two days before the tournament that Jirayia appeared telling Tsunade that the boys were fine and would be back in the village by the time of the tournament. When asked why he had come back early, he simply smiled and said "My research calls."

--

On the day of the tournament Sakura, Hinata, Kiba with Akamaru, Choji and the two Sound Nin's were standing in the arena facing the monstrous audience. Naruto and Sasuke were not there yet, and Sakura was being to worry a bit. She remembered the entrance Kakashi and Sasuke made the first time and hoped they wouldn't do that again.

"Sakura, are you okay?"

"Oh I'm fine Hinata. This is my first time down here."

"Mine too. But this is our chance to show everyone how strong we are." Hinata paused for a moment, not knowing how to put into words what she wanted to say. "Sakura, I hope that after everything is done, the tournament I mean, that uh….."

"Don't worry about it Hinata. Just don't disappoint me."

Both girls stand there smiling at each other. Neither feeling the need to hold grudges toward the other. Both of them wanted to show everyone just how strong they had become. They were no longer weak girls hiding in the shadows of a clan or their teammates.

"Hey Sakura, where the hell is the rest of your team?" Kiba was growing impatient. The faster everyone showed up the faster they would get to his match.

"They're with Kakashi."

Sighing heavily Genma chewed on his senbon. "That explains everything."

--

Tsunade was sitting in her seat. Shizume stood next to her holding TonTon. Seated next to her was Kabuto and the black haired nin. He was no longer pale, although his future as a shinobi was uncertain. It's very uncommon for shinobi to continue in their careers after loosing a limb. Both Tsunade and Kabuto were decked out in their formal clothing.

"It seems like Sasuke-kun is going to be late again."

"He'll be on time." Tsunade was a bit worried. Kakashi did have a habit of being late.

"If you don't mind I'm must excuse myself for a moment. I will be right back." Kabuto got up and walked away from Tsunade. She wanted to stop him, but she wasn't sure where he was going. He could be going to the bathroom for all she knew. The black haired nin stayed behind, so she felt obligated to stay put. She wondered if Kabuto was stupid enough to try something inside an arena full of Leaf shinobis.

--

"Make sure you watch the first match carefully Sasuke."

"I know that."

The two boys had just entered the long hallway that lead to the arena floor. As always Kakashi had been late. As they get closer to the arena they notice the silhouette of someone leaning against the wall. As they get closer they realize who it is.

"It's been a while hasn't it Sasuke-kun?"

"What do you want Kabuto?"

"Is that anyway to talk to me. I took such good care of you." Kabuto had been moving slowly away from the wall as he spoke. He walked toward Sasuke completely ignoring Naruto. Kabuto would have continued his advance if it weren't for Naruto. He had decided to stop Kabuto from approaching Sasuke. It was starting to become a habit, shielding Sasuke.

"Ahh, Naruto-kun, good to see you again. I see you've gotten taller." The obvious jab was ignored by Naruto, who just continued to stare at Kabuto.

"Cat got your tounge." Reaching up Kabuto runs a finger along one of the lines on Naruto's cheek. Naruto refused to back down. He wanted nothing more then to break the finger on his face, he would not. He wanted to control his temper. He would not start a war.

"You used to always talk big. But if I remember correctly I almost killed you once."

"As did I."

Sasuke was confused. Had Naruto encountered Kabuto more then once?

"Yes, we underestimated you. Believe me it won't happen again. I'm surprised you haven't started changing ….." Kabuto leaned in to whisper the last part of the sentence in Naruto's ear. "….you know with the Kyuubi and all."

"Shut up." Naruto had meant for the words to come out strong and authoritative, but instead they came out strangled and low. He sounded weak and he hated it.

Without moving away from his ear Kabuto continued to talk at a volume only Naruto could hear. "Temper, temper. Anger doesn't suit your face. Now fear, that makes you look beautiful. I know you fear what you might become. I know you fear being alone. That he will leave again, try to kill you again."

Sasuke had had just about enough. Whatever Kabuto was telling Naruto was scaring him.  
He could see the boy was shaking. His senses told him Naruto was on the verge of running. Sasuke reached out to grab Naruto's arm, but upon touching him Naruto threw himself against the wall.

"NO!"

Sasuke was rooted to the spot. Never before had he seen Naruto so scared, so vulnerable. He didn't even notice Kabuto standing behind him until he started talking.

"Do you see how much he fears you? He knows you'll betray him again."

"You know nothing."

"Oh I know enough. I know you claim to hate Orochimaru and Itachi. I know you came to Orochimaru to gain power, even though you told everyone else you didn't. I know you will never stop thinking of Itachi."

"Shut up."

"I know you feel torn. Should you be friends with Naruto, or should you kill him? You are an avenger. You've lived your life for that. Do you honestly think you can just change so quickly? People like you are natural killers, your hands are stained with blood and will forever be stained with blood. With Naruto's blood."

Kabuto lightly runs his hands down Sasuke's shoulder blades, reminding him of what he had there once. And then just as soon as it started it was over. Kabuto was gone. Both boys stand there silent. All their demons had been brought to the surface. All the things both had tried so hard to push down, to get rid of, to forget were out in the open again.

"Sasuke, what happened while you were in the Sound?"

"I don't want to talk about it." If Sasuke died, and never told Naruto about his time in the Sound he would die a happy man. He didn't want anyone to know about his time there.

"Why not? I want to know."

"It's none of your business!"

"How do you expect me to trust you when you won't tell me anything?!"

"I tried to tell you but you ran away."

"You were the one who ran away, or did you forget already?"

"How could I forget, I almost killed you." The words came out with more venom then Sasuke had intended. But now that he had said them there was nothing else he could do.

"Yes, how stupid of me." With that Naruto simply turned and walked toward the forgotten arena leaving Sasuke behind. As he enters the arena he throws Sakura a huge, cheesy smile. He didn't want her to worry.

Sasuke just stood there watching Naruto walk away. 'How could I have been so stupid?' He had played right into Kabuto's little game. Everything he had worked so hard to mend over the past month, gone. Anger getting the best of him Sasuke rammed his hand into the wall, chidiori and all.

Within the arena everyone turned at the sound of the chidiori and the flash of light coming from the hallway.

"Naruto did you….." Sakura didn't finish her sentence when she noticed that Naruto hadn't turned around to look. Instead he had an angry look on his face. Shortly after she noticed Sasuke was now standing beside her, also very quiet. She felt their anger, it was almost crushing.

Wow that is my longest chapter to date……12 pages!! WOOT!!

Okay let me start by saying, I hate Kabuto. He makes an awesome bad guy and all, but the guys rubs me the wrong way. He's manipulative and mysterious. I mean look at how he manipulated Kimi. I hope everyone enjoyed the small action sequence with Sakura. I had a bunch of ideas for that battle, but I decided to save them for the tournament. Also in my fic Sasuke doesn't know about the kyuubi. Why you say, well it is kinda hard to believe that someone would have a demon inside them. At least I think so. Also Sasuke is only aware of Naruto meeting Kabuto once. He is unaware of the Sennin battle……….which was SO COOL!!

I know this chapter was a lot of talking, but I couldn't help it. I had a lot to say.

I introduced Iruka, and the names of the Sound Nin's……well at least two of them. The armless guy….he ain't coming back cause well I couldn't think of a name for him. As for the other two, Ryo is the name I took from Shinobi. Tenma Hibiki…..now this is an interesting one. I didn't steal the name from Genma or Ibiki. I did some research and picked those two names cause it means "Sound Demon". Yeah chessy, but whatever.

For the tournament matches I plan on writing them all out. I already know who is going to win the matches and the tournament, its just a matter of how they do it. If there is a match you want me to write in extra detail, or a match you don't really care about let me know. I am going to write out the Sound Match, although it might be kinda vague.

I plan on having Shikamaru, Neji, Lee, Shino, and Gai in the next chapter. Oh yeah be ready. I might not update for a really long time, with finals and winter break. But please feel free to review. I really do take all reviews into consideration.

Sorry for the long author note. ::hides behind chair:: Anyway reviews, death threats, comments, hates, likes, addresses would be greatly appreciated.


	9. The Good and the Bad

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (enter sarcastic reason here).**

**Shinobi36** – The thing with Sakura is that when she's protecting her friends she finds inner strength. Example: Forest of Death against the Sound, and then later when she confronted Gaara. I don't dislike, but she's not my fave. I just see her strength. I will work on the relationship between Naruto, Iruka and Jiraiya. Oh and about Hibiki and Ryo……read on.

**Nonengel – **Thanks for the comment on the Sakura fight. And about the pairings, you have a good point there. And no, I will not go flashback crazy. That gets annoying.

----------------------------------------

**Chapter 9: The Good and the Bad**

_Within the arena everyone turned at the sound of the chidiori and the flash of light coming from the hallway. _

"_Naruto did you….." Sakura didn't finish her sentence when she noticed that Naruto hadn't turned around to look. Instead he had an angry look on his face. Shortly after she noticed Sasuke was now standing beside her, also very quiet. She felt their anger, it was almost crushing._

"Just to refresh your memories." Genma decided to ignore the animosity between Naruto and Sasuke and instead decided to proceed with the tournament. Once he was sure everyone had looked at the tournament line up he folded up the paper and put it away. "Will everyone please go to the waiting area except for Hibiki and Ryo."

All the leaf genins turned and started walking toward the small stairway that led to the balcony where they were to wait. Sitting in the audience was Shino, Neji, Shikamaru and Lee. All four were already chuunins and had come to watch their former teammates and significant others compete. Lee was sitting in the aisle seat in the hopes that maybe Gai would show up. Unfortunately Lee's mood took a turn for the worse as he watched the small group of genins walk to the stairway. Sasuke was walking very far behind the rest of the group and it was obvious that Naruto was mad at him.

"Oye Lee, I thought you said they were doing great?" Shikamaru also noticed the conflict between Naruto and Sasuke.

"They were the last time I saw them together. I don't understand what happened."

"Naruto can't forget." All eyes turned to Neji. "He wears his heart on his sleeve."

Lee knew it was true. He had seen Naruto go from cheerful to depressed and all because of a harsh word or look from a villager or ninja. He didn't really understand why some people in the village looked down on Naruto. Naruto was a wonderful person and a great ninja. But under all that he was still a fragile person. "Sasuke must have said or done something."

"I won't lead another mission after him again." Even after three years Shikamaru was still haunted by the fact that his friends had almost died. He blamed Sasuke. If Sasuke hadn't left none of this would have happened. He had failed in his first mission, almost lost his close friends, and it was all Sasuke's fault.

"But Naruto will go after him." Shino might not have known Naruto as well as the others, but he knew enough. Naruto was determined, stubborn and passionate.

"Yes, but it may not be to bring him back. Everyone has their limits." Neji wasn't sure how much heartache Naruto could take, especially when it was coming from the same person. People have a limit to how many times they can be betrayed, and he knew Naruto was no different.

"That's a mission I would not mind leading."

"That is a mission I cannot participate in. As much as I share your feelings and sentiments." Lee knew as much as anyone how hard it was for Naruto and Sakura. He had been there. He had seen Sakura cry herself to sleep over the whole thing. He had watched Naruto destroy trees from frustration and hurt.

"Sakura, right?"

"I do not wish to cause her more pain."

"Ahhh! The wonders of youth! Isn't it great to see the bonds of youth growing Kakashi?" All four chuunins turned to see Gai and Kakashi standing in the aisle. Gai turned to see Kakashi's reaction, but Kakashi was no longer standing next to him. Turning back to the group Gai noticed that Kakashi was already sitting next to Lee.

"I'm impressed you actually got here on time Kakashi." Shikamaru knew the jounin couldn't show up on time if his life depended on it.

"Actually we're late. We wanted to be the first ones here."

Shikamaru couldn't help but sigh heavily at the comment. Neji simply shook his head. Some things never change.

"YOSH!! The match is about to start!" Suddenly Kakashi didn't want to be seated next to Lee anymore.

---

Genma waited patiently for the genins to appear on the balcony before starting the match. He soon saw Hinata, Kiba and Choij standing at one end. Naruto and Sakura were standing near the middle, and Sasuke was off to the side in the shadows. Looking over at the two Sound nin's Genma raised his arm. "Begin."

"Biki-kun, may the best man win." Ryo promptly bowed knowing that Hibiki would not say anything in return. Both nin's simply stare at each other. Neither of them moved as they sized each other up. Hibiki is the first to attack. He charged at Ryo and immediately engaged him in a taijutsu match.

Ryo instantly went on the defensive. He blocked all of the punches and kicks thrown his way, but he did not attempt to throw any back. It became obvious that Ryo was much faster than Hibiki and could easily attack him back, and yet he didn't.

From the audience the two masters of taijutsu can't help but notice Ryo's lack of attack. Watching the match Lee and Neji can't help but notice all the opportunities for a counter that are passed up by Ryo.

"Neji, I don't understand why the red head isn't attacking back."

Without taking his eyes off the match Neji answers Lee's question. "He knows something about that man that we don't."

--

'Damnit I can't keep defending. He's going to tire me out.' Taking a chance Ryo kicks Hibiki in the chest. As his leg comes into contact with Hibiki's chest, Hibiki touches Ryo's calf. Hibiki is thrown back and Ryo collapses. 'I knew that would happen.'

Staying on his knees Ryo looked over at Hibiki, who was slowly standing up. Ryo knew he would have to act fast before Hibiki charged at him again. Quickly going through hand seals he stopped and held the last seal, which was the seal of the rooster.

"**Kaze Kamaitachi!"** Ryo inhaled deeply and blew the wind out. A tornado appeared in front of him and started going straight for Hibiki. The tornado was going fast, but Hibiki was faster and he easily dodged it.

--

"He missed." Kiba had never seen a ninjutsu like that before, but it seemed to him to be a one shot technique.

"There's chakra in the tornado." Kiba looked over to see that Hinata had activated her Byakugan.

--

Ryo couldn't help but smile at Hibiki. Ryo moved his hands, which were still in the seal of the rooster, and aimed them at Hibiki. The tornado suddenly moved toward Hibiki. It was then that everyone realized that Ryo has complete control over the tornado. As long as he maintained the seal he could make the tornado moved where he wanted.

Hibiki knew he had to move fast. He turned and ran in the opposite direction. Just as the tornado was about to overtake him Hibiki jumped in the air in the hopes of jumping over the tornado. He failed to jump high enough. The tornado grazed his leg as he soared over it. Upon landing Hibiki reached back and grabbed the bottom of the two sticks strapped to his back. Standing up quickly he pulls down on the sticks to reveal two katana's. Slashing at the tornado, Hibiki cuts the tornado in half, destroying it.

"I see you're finally starting to take me seriously, Biki-kun." Ryo goes through some seals and creates three clones.

Hibiki can't help but smirk at Ryo. "It is difficult at times to take you seriously."

"Sensei is watching. Let's make him proud." Ryo and the three clones go through the same seals from before, stopping on the seal of the rooster. This time four tornados appear. Hibiki has just enough time to destroy one tornado before being overwhelmed. Hibiki is forced to go into the defensive and dodge the tornados. He is not given the opportunity to destroy any of the other tornados.

--

'I've never seen anyone use clones like that before.' Naruto was dumbfounded. He thought himself on expert when it came to the uses of clones. But Ryo's use of the clones was completely new to him.

--

Reaching into his clothing, Ryo pulled out a kunai. He watched Hibiki for a few seconds before he ran toward him.

--

"He's fast." Shikamaru hadn't seen speed like that since the chuunin exam three years before when Lee opened all eight gates.

"He could be faster." Lee had been watching Ryo closely.

"What do you mean?"

"He's favoring one of his legs. Somehow the white-haired man injured his leg when he was kicked."

--

Ryo ran between the three tornados toward Hibiki. He was confident that his clones would make an opening for him once they saw him entering the battle. Ryo approached Hibki from the left and went to slash at Hibiki's left arm. Hibiki was so caught up in trying to avoid the tornado's he didn't even know Ryo was there until his arm was slashed. In the shock Hibiki dropped one of the katanas and jumped back. Desperate Hibiki stabbed the ground with his other katana and started to go through hand seals. Recognizing the seals Ryo turns and runs out of Hibiki's range.

"**Onpa Zenkai**!" A huge sound wave erupted from Hibiki's hands. The wave destroyed the three tornados and the three clones. As the wave passed it tore at the ground, leaving a huge scar before finally disappearing.

Hibiki stood up slowly and turned to face Ryo. Ryo was holding the katana that Hibiki dropped when he was slashed.

"I thought weapons weren't your thing."

A warm, and almost childish smile graced Ryo's face. "You left me no choice Biki-kun. Although I must admit you are better with a katana then I am."

Hibiki reached over and pulled the katana out of the ground. Hibiki has just enough time to go into a stance before Ryo charged at him. Both nin's showed incredible skill with the katana. Hibiki was obviously much more skilled then Ryo. He wasted no movements, and aimed at all the vital parts. Ryo was significantly faster then Hibiki, and showed no sign of exhaustion.

--

"Suddenly I'm glad I'm not going to be facing them." Watching the match Naruto wasn't sure if he would be able to face someone fighting with a katana. He had never really fought against anyone who used a weapon before. He made a mental note to learn how to defend against a weapon once the tournament was over.

"I know what you mean." Sakura knew her limits, and she knew the two Sounds nin's were beyond her limits.

"Then again I might face them if someone here loses." Sakura was shocked at the venom that was in Naruto's voice. Before she could try and deflate the situation she sensed the anger coming

off of Sasuke.

"I won't lose. Don't worry." The last thing Sasuke wanted to do was make things worse then they already were.

"You lost the last time."

"What did you say?!" Sasuke knew Naruto was talking about his match against Gaara. Naruto was now aiming to hurt Sasuke's pride. The one place that when bruised would ensure an outburst from Sasuke.

"You heard me!"

"Hey you guys stop it!" Sakura had to stop the shouting match before it escalated into something much worse. She knew that if the two decided to start fighting that no one would be able to stop them, not when they were this angry.

Over at the other end of the balcony, the three genins stood and watched the whole thing unfold. They had never seen Naruto act to viciously. Hinata watched as Sakura desperately tried to defuse the situation. It became obvious that she was overwhelmed and would not able to handle both her teammates. Taking the initiative Hinata walked over to Naruto.

"Naruto?"

"What?!" Naruto turned at yelled at the person behind him. It wasn't until he realized it was Hinata that he felt guilty. Hinata on the other hand did not back down. She knew Naruto was simply caught up in the moment. She reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Will you come talk with me?"

Naruto didn't say anything but let Hinata lead him toward the hallway that lead to the stairway. As Hinata walked away she turned to look at Sakura. Sakura mouthed, 'Thank You' before turning her attention to Sasuke.

In hallway Hinata and Naruto leaned against the wall opposite from each other. Naruto refused to look Hinata in the eye and instead looked at his feet.

"When I saw you a month ago you looked so happy. I hadn't seen you that happy in a very long time." When Hinata had seen Naruto enter the room at the start of the chuunin exam she saw a small hint of the Naruto she had known before.

"What are you talking about? We were confronted by Sound Nin's, your teammates were rude to Sasuke, who by the way is a bastard, and I almost killed him during a training session." Naruto still refused to look at her in the face.

"I heard about that from Neji after Lee told him." Neji had told her that Naruto had gotten very upset with Sasuke after Sasuke had accidentally injured him. Naruto had gone into some sort of rage and one of the legendary sannins had to stop him. "You may not have smiled a lot recently, but I noticed. You are much happier, less edgy around others. Your eyes are warmer as well."

This time Naruto looked up at Hinata in shock. "Less edgy? Hinata I got into a shouting match with Sasuke and I yelled at you."

"Your relationship with Sasuke has always been a volatile one, even before he left. He's your rival, as well as your friend. I know you, and I know you didn't mean to yell at me."

Naruto wanted to tell her how little she really knew him. She didn't know about the demon inside him, or the way some of the villagers looked at him. She didn't know about all the nights he used to cry himself to sleep when he was younger. How he cried when Sasuke left. He wanted to tell her all these things, if only to get her to understand. But instead all that came out was, "I'm still sorry."

There was a long pause before Hinata spoke again. "Would you have waited forever for him to come back?" Everyone knew that Naruto and Sakura decided to remain genins until Sasuke returned. Their devotion to their teammate was almost legendary in Konoha.

"He was my best friend, my only friend." Naruto answered the question softly. He was scared that if said Sasuke was his friend too loudly some all mighty power somewhere would take him away. He was mad at Sasuke, but that didn't mean he wanted him gone. Naruto had no one else.

"I'm your friend. Always have been." Hinata was almost hurt when Naruto said Sasuke was his only friend. Did he not know there were other people out there who cared for him? Who saw him as a friend?

"Why?"

"Silly. It's so easy to be your friend."

"But what if you knew things about me, bad things."

Hinata didn't know what Naruto was talking about. But she knew everyone had secrets. It was part of being human. "Being someone's friend means you accept them for who they are. That includes the good and the bad."

Naruto remained silent as he absorbed what Hinata had just said. He had accepted Sasuke as his friend. He knew Sasuke could be a total asshole, and he could be too arrogant for his own good at times. But he also knew Sasuke was determined, protective and he pushed Naruto to do his best. Sasuke had seen Naruto's demons, and yet he still regarded him as a friend. Then there was Sakura. When he told her what was inside of him, she didn't leave. She stayed and remained his friend.

"Naruto, let's go back and finish watching the match."

Hinata pushed herself off the wall and began to walk away. She wasn't sure if Naruto would follow her just yet. He seemed to be in deep thought. She just hoped that what she had said made some sense. She was half way to the balcony when Naruto grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Thank you Hinata. You have no idea how much that meant to me."

"Your welcome, Naruto-kun." She couldn't resist saying his name the same way she used to when they were younger. It was all worth it too when Naruto smiled.

--Meanwhile—

Sakura waited until Naruto was out of earshot before she started talking to Sasuke. "I thought things were going fine between you two."

"You thought wrong."

"What happened?"

"Nothing." He hoped she would take the hint and leave him alone.

Sakura knew what that answer meant; it meant leave me alone. "That might have shut me up a few years ago, but not anymore. We're all living together and working together. So quit the act and tell me what happened."

Sasuke couldn't believe what he had just heard. Sasuke turned to look at Sakura. She was looking at him, and he knew she wouldn't back down. "You've really changed."

"Living with Naruto and dating Lee does that to you."

Sasuke turned back to the match. Currently Ryo had the upper hand. Hibiki was bleeding from his right thigh and had a slash on his back. Sasuke wondered how much longer the match would last. He felt Sakura's eyes on him, and knew that ignoring the question wasn't working. "We ran into Kabuto on the way to the arena."

"That explains a lot. Did he hurt you guys?"

"No. But he whispered something to Naruto. Whatever it was got Naruto really worked up. Then Kabuto said some things about me."

Sakura had an idea of what Kabuto could have told Naruto. There were only a few things that could get Naruto worked up: his friends, his skills and the Kyuubi. She doubted Kabuto attacked Naruto's skills. "So basically he got you two mad at each other."

"He has a way with words."

"If there's one thing I've learned from Naruto is that being honest is the only way to go."

Sasuke stood there watching the match, taking in Sakura's words. Being honest. He wasn't sure if he could be honest. That just might make things even worse then they already were. Sasuke was about to comment on it when he sensed Naruto standing behind him.

"You're a bastard you know that."

"And you're a dobe."

"I hate you."

"I hate you too."

"Good. This match is still going on?!"

"Its' going to end soon, The small kid, Ryo, is gonna end up winning." Sakura wasn't even phased by the things the boys had said to each other. Such statements were not meant to hurt. It was a sign of affection between the two. Sure it was a little twisted, but it worked.

--

Ryo and Hibiki were still slashing at each other with the katana's. Hibiki's speed had taken a serious nose dive after Ryo injured his thigh. Ryo on the other hand was still going strong. In an act of desperation Hibiki rushed at Ryo. Ryo easily blocked the attack and pushed past Hibiki.

"I'm sorry Biki-kun."

Before Hibiki can register what happened he felt the katana at his throat. "I give."

Genma couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. The match had gone on for way too long. "Winner, Shenron Ryo."

--

"Your students are very skilled."

Kabuto laughed at the comment Tsunade had made. "They have yet to show their potential. Ah, Sasuke-kun's match is next."

'I really don't like this man.'

--

Ryo was carrying Hibiki toward the stairway that lead to the waiting area. The entire time he was apologizing to Hibiki for injuring him so badly. Once they were out of sight Genma looked over at the balcony. "Will the next participants please come down."

"Good luck Sasuke."

"Yeah, don't lose Sasuke." Sasuke knew Naruto was only playing around so he decided to ignore the jab. He jumped off the balcony and was shortly followed by Kiba and Akamaru. As the three moved into position Ryo and Hibiki reached the balcony. Sakura turned to watch the interaction between the two. Ryo placed Hibiki against the back wall and kneeled down. He pulled out some medicine and reached over to put it on Hibiki. But Hibiki didn't let him.

"Let me." Ryo simply stood up and looked at Hibiki.

"Biki-kun, can you please fix my leg."

Hibiki set the medicine down and without question started to go through a few hand seals. He ran his hands down the same calf he had injured at the start of the match. Sakura couldn't help but notice that the chakra Hibiki used was not the same one used in healing jutsus. When Hibiki was done, Ryo stretched out his leg and walked over to stand next to Sakura.

"Sakura, wasn't it?"

Sakura couldn't help but notice how young and innocent Ryo looked. She nodded in response to his question.

"You must be Naruto then?" Ryo looked past Sakura and addressed the question to Naruto, who also nodded in response.

Ryo looked back to Sakura and decided to answer her unasked question. "Hibiki used sound waves that come out of his hands to attack. He used those same waves to fix my leg."

"Ryo!"

Ryo turned to look at a now very angry Hibiki. "Sorry Biki-kun, but Sakura-san was wondering." He turned to look at Sakura, who was surprised at what Ryo had said. "Am I right?"

Sakura was completely dumbfounded. How the heck did he know? Taking her silence as a yes, Ryo smiled wholeheartedly at her. Noticing the smile, Naruto reached over and pulled Sakura closer to him and away from Ryo. Lee would kill him if he knew some guy was flirting with Sakura and he didn't stop them. "The match is about to start."

--

"Ready?" When both Kiba and Sasuke nodded, Genma raised his arm and as he lowered it he said, "Begin."

Kiba had never been known for his patience, and this was no exception. "Lets end this quick." Reaching into his pouch he pulled out his solider pills. He took one and gave another to Akamaru. Almost immediately Akamaru's fur went from white to red, his canines got longer and the look on his face was that of a rabid dog.

As Akamaru changed, Kiba also began to change. His nails grew longer, his hair shaggier. Kiba was now standing on all fours like a wild animal. Akamaru jumped onto Kiba's back. "**Juujin bunshin!"**

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and looked at the two Kiba's before him. Sasuke slightly turned his body to the side, moved his feet together and extended his right arm out. It was the same taunting pose he had taken when he fought Gaara. "Come."

"With pleasure!" Both Kiba and Akamaru ran toward Sasuke. They both crossed each others path multiple times in the hopes that Sasuke would lose track of who was who. As they neared Sasuke one of the Kiba's ran to the left as the other ran to the right. They both jumped in the air at the same time and began to turn their bodies at great speeds.

The entire time Sasuke just stood there, in the same pose. The collision caused by Kiba and Akamaru created a huge dust cloud. There was no sound or movement from the cloud for a few seconds. Then without warning one of the Kiba's was thrown out of the dust cloud. As the cloud dissipated Sasuke and the other Kiba came into view. Sasuke was standing behind the Kiba and was holding a kunai to his throat. The Kiba that was thrown out was still in the same place where he landed. Both are growling loudly at Sasuke.

"Move and I'll kill you, but not before I kill him." To emphasize his words Sasuke threw a shuriken at the Kiba in front of him, while maintaining the kunai at the throat of the other Kiba. The shuriken barely missed Kiba's neck. The Kiba that Sasuke was holding growled loudly at him, he even snapped his jaw at Sasuke.

"Even if you get away I'll get you again. I know who the real Kiba is and who is Akamaru. You can't fool me, Kiba."

Sasuke waited for Kiba to say something, or do something. But Kiba remained silent. Finally growing impatient Sasuke pulled out two more shuriken and threw them. One grazed the arm of the other Kiba and the other lodges itself in his thigh.

"AKAMARU!!" Kiba would have decapitated himself if Sasuke had not stopped him from ramming his neck into the kunai. Realizing that no matter what he did, Sasuke would win Kiba raised his hand. "I give up."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth Sasuke let Kiba go. Kiba ran over to Akamaru, who by now had dropped the jutsu. He quickly picked up Akamaru and ran off toward the medical rooms.

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke couldn't help but notice how loudly the crowd was cheering. He barely did anything and they were all reacting like he had done something wonderful.

--

"Should I go help Kiba?" Sakura knew her match was coming up and she should probably conserve her chakra, but if she could help someone she would.

"No. He doesn't like it when people outside his clan treat Akamaru." Hinata was probably the only one outside of Kiba's family that was allowed to heal the dog, and that was only because she had been around him for so long.

"I don't understand why Akamaru didn't attack Sasuke alone." Naruto was completely confused and frustrated over the match. The dog should have continued the fight.

"He does what Kiba tells him to do. They're a team. Without one, the other is useless. Akamaru is Kiba's weakness."

"Sasuke used that to his advantage and ended the match quickly. He didn't even show his true strength, that bastard." Looking into the arena Naruto barely caught a glimpse of Sasuke as he entered the hallway leading to the stairs.

"Naruto, our match is next." Naruto looked over at Choji and nodded. Both nin's jumped down into the arena. As they walked over to Genma, Naruto turned and looked at Choji.

"Choji, may the best man win."

"I won't hold back Naruto."

"Good, cause neither will I."

As the two nin's approached Genma and got into position, Naruto was already coming up with a strategy. When it came to brute strength, Choji could easily beat him, so hand to hand combat was out of the question. Naruto knew he would have to end the match quickly.

Genma waited until the Naruto and Choji were in position before raising his arm. "Begin."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Kaze Kamaitachi –** Slicing winds

**Onpa Zenkai** – Sound Wave of Destruction

**Juujin bunshin** - Beast Human Clone

Wanna know what the hand seals look like: ,hand20seals

Please don't hurt me for the cliffhanger. ::hides behind desk::

Man I made my beta work over time with this one. It was all kinds of messed up when she got it.

Yay, another long chapter!! Sorry that the match between the Sound Nin's was so long. I didn't know how long the fight was since I was so wrapped up in writing it. Don't know if you noticed but I did poke fun at the length of the fight. Both Naruto and Genma comment on the length of the whole thing.

What did everyone think of the interaction between Hinata/Naruto and Sakura/Sasuke?? I didn't want to make Hinata an all knowing, all wise person. Just honest. Oh what about Gai?? I didn't want to go too over the top with him, even though I think I did. Oh well. Don't worry there will be more tension between Naruto and Sasuke later on. I promise.

Okay you know the drill, leave comments, reviews, Christmas lists…..


	10. Kabuto's Secret Interest

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (enter sarcastic reason here).**

**Nonengel** – Thanks for the comments on the conversations. Not a lot of talking in this chapter, but I hope you like it.

**Shinobi36** – Glad you're happy your nin won. About the lack of ninjutsu and genjutsu, well most matches in the series are basically "I'm gonna beat the snot out of you." But hopefully this chapter has the right amount of all three jutsu's for you. And your review wasn't too long.

**Marshmellowgang** – Strange SN, and Kabuto's fate is yet unknown ::looks around::

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**Chapter 10: Kabuto's Secret Interest**

_As the two nin's approached Genma and got into position, Naruto was already coming up with a strategy. When it came to brute strength, Choji could easily beat him, so hand to hand combat was out of the question. Naruto knew he would have to end the match quickly._

Genma waited until Naruto and Choji were in position before raising his arm. "Begin."

Wasting no time Naruto created so many clones that even he lost count of them. Choji stood his ground as the clones surrounded him. Once he was completely surrounded the clones all moved in to attack him. Choji easily began throwing the clones around.

'Damn he is strong.' Taking a chance Naruto go over to the wall of the arena and disguises himself as the wall with a simple henge. He leaves a clone behind to act as himself. Luckily Choji was so preoccupied with the clones he didn't see Naruto hide. As a matter of fact very few people saw the switch, since all eyes were on the Choji and the clones.

Once all the clones, expect for the one acting as Naruto, were disposed of Choji turned to Naruto. He was slightly out of breath. "I'm impressed with your strength Choji."

"Thank you." Not waiting for Naruto to attack Choji starts to form his own hand seals. Naruto knew what was coming as soon as Choji doubled in size, then hid his limbs and head.

"**Meat Tank!"**

Choji wastes no time in rolling toward who he thinks is Naruto. The clone throws a kunai at Choji then leaps out of the way. Choji stops, turns and aims for Naruto once again. The clone continues to jump and run out of the way.

Eventually Choji grows tired of chasing Naruto and drops the jutsu. When he does a slash is evident on his arm from the kunai the clone threw earlier. Tired and low on chakra, Choji reaches into his pouch and pulls out a small bag with solider pills in it. In an act of desperation the clone rushes Choji and knocks the bag on the floor spilling all the pills. Choji grabs the clone and throws him at the nearest wall. The clone hits the wall inches from where the real Naruto was hiding and disappears.

"What the.." It's then that Choji realizes that the real Naruto is hiding. He quickly scans the arena. There are only a few trees in the arena everything else is open space. Choji knows Naruto wouldn't be stupid enough to hide in the most obvious area. "I'll find you."

Choji starts walking over to the trees as he forms seals. **"Mega Baika no Jutsu!"** Choji more then doubles in size. He stops in front of one of the trees and rips it out. Holding the tree Choji walks over to the wall of the arena and starts running the tree along the wall as he walks.

"Oh shit." Naruto doesn't move as Choji gets closer and closer to him. If he runs now Choji will just attack him with the tree, and that won't be good. Realizing he has no choice Naruto waits until the tree is almost on him before making his presence known.

"**Rasengan!"** The tree instantly explodes into a million pieces. Choji takes a small step back from the shock of the exploding tree, only to look down and see Naruto. Wasting no time Choji reaches down to grab Naruto. Naruto is able to escape Choji's hand, but he narrowly escapes Choji's foot. Even for his size, Choji is still pretty fast.

Naruto knows he can't defeat a giant Choji with taijutsu, so he begins running through all the ninjutsu he knows. Only one ninjutsu comes to mind, and he didn't really want to use it. Naruto was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't see the foot flying toward him until it was too late. Choji kicked Naruto, who flew into the wall. Naruto slumped forward and couched out some blood. He slowly stood up, using the wall as leverage.

"I have no choice." Naruto reached up and wiped some blood from his mouth. He slowly begins to go through some hands seals. Looking up, Naruto smiled at Choji and slammed his hand to the ground. **"****Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"**

A huge cloud of smoke instantly fills the arena. People in the audience are forced to cover their eyes; some even take cover behind those sitting in front of them. When the smoke clears people can't believe their eyes. Naruto is standing on top of Gamabunta's head. Gamabunta is holding his katana against Choji's neck. Choji is leaning against the wall of the arena with a look of complete terror on his face.

"I give up. I can't fight this."

Naruto taps Gamabunta's head as a sign to lower the katana. Once he does Choji drops his jutsu and returns to his normal size.

"Thanks Gamabunta!"

"No problem gaki." Gamabunta begins to sheath his katana, making sure not to hurt Naruto in the process.

Hoping not to anger the giant frog, Genma announced the names of the next match. "Will Hyuuga Hinata and Haruno Sakura please come down."

Sasuke turned away from the fight and faces Sakura. "Good luck." Sakura only smiled at him. Before walking away. As she turned to walk down the hallway she heard Naruto yell her name. She turned to see him jumping off Gamabunta's head onto the balcony. "Sakura!! Good luck!!"

"Thanks." Behind Naruto and Sasuke, Gamabunta winked at her before disappearing in another rush of air and smoke. Turning she continued her walk down the hallway toward the stairs. She began running through strategies to use against Hinata. She knew her chances of winning were slim. Naruto had a hard time against Neji, and Hinata was able to hold her own against Neji. That was three years ago, who knew how strong she was now. But she too had gotten stronger. She knew that to both her and Hinata this was more then just a match. This was their chance to show everyone how strong they were. As she entered the arena Sakura knew she would not disappoint anyone.

Sakura fell into position facing Hinata. Hinata was in the Hyuuga fighting stance with her Byakugan activated. She was so focused on Hinata she didn't even hear Genma announce the start of the match. It wasn't until Hinata attacked that she knew the match had begun. Sakura knew that she had to stay as far away from Hinata as possible, so she threw three shurinken to stop Hinata. Hinata stopped running and rapidly spins, deflecting the weapons. Sakura takes advantage of Hinata's momentary distraction and begins to form seals. With her head lowered she whispers "**Kokuangyou no Jutsu"**

--

"Oye Sasuke."

Sasuke already knows what Naruto is going to ask him, so without turning to face him he activates his Sharingan. "I'll tell you when she does a genjutsu."

"Thanks."

"She just put Hinata in the dark."

Turning to watch the match again, Naruto's mood became very serious. "Sakura should end it quick."

"You do know that whoever wins this match will have to fight you." A silence falls between the two as they watch the match. Taking the silence as a yes, Sasuke speaks once again. "Are you prepared to face Sakura?"

A silence once again fell between the two of them. Sasuke thought that the silence was once again his answer. Just as he was about to return all his attention to the match he barely heard Naruto answer. "I don't know."

--

When Hinata stopped spinning she was taken aback when she noticed she was in the dark. It took her a moment to realize she was in a genjutsu. It was then she was attacked from behind, a slash appearing on her shoulder. Sakura was attacking her from within the darkness. Hinata noticed that she could not see where Sakura was within the genjustu since she was completely surrounded by the chakra of the jutsu. Pulling out a kunai she prepared herself for the next attack. Sakura continued to attack Hinata, who was able to block the attacks just in time. After her last attack Sakura noticed that Hinata dropped her arms and was looking straight ahead. Sakura decides to take advantage of Hinata's sudden lack of defense and lunges at her once again. As she charges in Hinata suddenly turns and throws her kunai straight at Sakura. Sakura has just enough time to dodge the kunai, but in her hurry to move she drops the jutsu.

"How did you.."

Falling back into the Hyuuga fighting stance Hinata answers her unfinished question. "I looked for the area with the highest concentration of chakra."

Sakura stands up and falls into a stance as well. Both girls engage in a stand off.

--

Feeling that Sakura needed some encouragement Lee jumped out of his seat and began cheering her on. "COME ON SAKURA!!" It didn't take him long to notice that Neji wasn't cheering along with him. "Neji, you should cheer for Hinata."

Without turning away from the match Neji says, "Why?"

"You helped her train."

"She doesn't need me to cheer for her."

Deciding that the emotionless Neji wasn't any fun Lee sits down and smiles. "This match should get interesting if they use taijutsu."

Neji couldn't help but hide the look of surprise on his face as he turned to face Lee. "You taught her the pressure point technique? With her medical knowledge this will be an interesting match."

Lee can't help but smile at Neji with pride. "Maybe as good as our match."

"No." Neji smirks at Lee before once again turning back to the match.

--

Both girls are still in a stand off, walking in a circle. It is Sakura who makes the first move this time. She quickly moves forward and does some seals. "**Doku Gasu" **Sakura opens her mouth and a huge cloud of purple poison gas flies toward Hinata. Hinata knows she can't do her heavenly spin to combat this jutsu so instead she back flips out of range. As she flips Sakura creates two clones and rushes Hinata.

When Hinata lands she sees three Sakuras running at her. She makes a mental note to see if she can spot the real Sakura. The three Sakuras attack Hinata using taijustu, aiming at important points. But in the process the Sakuras also take some hits from Hinata. Suddenly Hinata turns her attention to the Sakura who is attacking the hardest and hits her square in the chest with her chakra charged hand. The other two Sakuras charge at Hinata's legs from the sides. Hinata sees them coming and hits both of them in the shoulder, but not before she takes a hit to the leg. It's then that she notices her mistake. She turns her attention to the Sakura in front of her. "Sakura?"

Sakura looks up at Hinata with a sad look on her face. "Sorry Hinata." Then she disappears in a poof of smoke, along with one of the Sakura's to her side. Hinata turns to see the real Sakura with her hand on her shoulder. The hand is covered with green chakra, healing chakra. "I knew you would go for the one that attacked the most."

Bending down Hinata touched the leg that the real Sakura had attacked and re-opened the point that was closed. When she looks back at Sakura, she sees that Sakura is standing in an all too familiar pose. Sakura is in the Lee stance. Taking the hint, Hinata falls into the Hyuuga stance once again. This time both girls charge at each other at the same time.

Hinata goes to punch Sakura in the face, but is blocked. Sakura quickly hits a point in Hinata's exposed ribs. Hinata drops down and attempts to kick Sakura's feet out from under her. Sakura quickly jumps over Hinata's head, hitting another point on her back as she lands. Hinata turns and tries to hit Sakura in the chest, but her arm is blocked once again. This time it is Hinata who closes a point in Sakura's arm. Hinata quickly begins to attack Sakura, and in the process cuts off the flow to Sakura's hands. Unable to attack Hinata with healing jutsu, Sakura jumps out of range and starts to form seals. Hinata notices that Sakura is gathering chakra to her lungs and quickly charges at her. Once Sakura is in range Hinata stops running and does her heavenly spin. Sakura is thrown back before she can do her jutsu. After landing from the spin, Sakura has just enough time to look up to see Hinata charging at her.

--

Sasuke had to hold Naruto back as he leaned over the balcony. "SAKURA!"

--

Neji had to grab onto Lee's arm to keep him from hurting himself and the people sitting in the row in front of them. "NO!"

--

Hinata was able to hit Sakura square in the chest with her hand. But Sakura was able pull out a kunai and hold in to Hinata's throat. Time seemed to stop. No one moved, no one talked. It seemed like an eternity before Sakura coughed out some blood and fell back.

"Winner Hyuuga Hinata."

Medical nin's immediately rushed to Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke both jumped down from the balcony. The medical nin's surrounded Sakura, but where quickly pushed aside by Hinata. "Let me." She quickly started to re open all the chakra points she had closed.

--

Lee pulled his arm free from Neji's grasp and started to leave. Neji got up and grabbed his arm again, stopping Lee. "The hit wasn't fatal. It was nothing like the ones I do."

"I know, but I still have to go." This time Neji let go of Lee's arm and watched him run off.

"Neji, don't worry he'll be fine." Even though Neji and Lee were no longer his students, Gai still worried about them. Neji slowly sat down next to Shikamaru and Shino once again.

Shikamaru had a serious look on his face as he watched what was going on in the arena. It was Shino who finally decided to ask what was wrong. Sighing heavily Shikamaru leaned back in his seat. "Sasuke's match is next, and after that is Naruto and Hinata."

Shino, Neji and Shikamaru didn't need to talk any further. All three understood the seriousness of the matches that were too come.

--

Naruto and Sasuke watched as an unconscious Sakura was taken away. Both nins want to follow and make sure she's okay, but they know they can't leave in the middle of the tournament.

"Naruto…"

Naruto and Sasuke turn to see a nervous Hinata. She's looking at the ground and tugging on her shirt. "I…uh…"

Naruto takes a few steps toward Hinata and places his hand under her chin forcing her to look at him. He swipes his hand on her neck and shows her the blood she had there. "She almost had you." Hinata looks from his hand to his face to see Naruto smiling at her.

The moment is broken when Genma asks for Sasuke and Ryo to come down to the arena. Naruto motions for Hinata to walk with him back to the balcony. As they approach Sasuke, Naruto stops walking. "You better win Sasuke."

"I will." Sasuke is deadly serious, and Naruto notices it in his tone.

"Come on Hinata, let's go." The two walk away from Sasuke and go toward the hallway that leads to the balcony. They walk in a comfortable silence. It isn't until they are halfway to the balcony that they hear descending footsteps. Naruto looks up to see Ryo walking down.

As Ryo passes them on the stairway he stops walking. "Naruto-san, I'll try not to hurt Sasuke too much."

Naruto stopped climbing the stairs and turned to face Ryo. "What was that?" He felt the anger start to rise within. Naruto was used to hearing Sasuke talk with a cocky tone, but to hear someone else use the tone was too much. Not only that Ryo had the nerve to use that tone in regards to Sasuke.

Ryo still had his back to Naruto as he spoke. "I respect Sasuke very much. It's an honor to be matched with him. And you Naruto, I heard much about you from sensei."

Now Ryo was talking about Kabuto. Naruto had to wonder if Ryo had a death wish. "Oh really?" Naruto couldn't hide his annoyance. But then again why should he, Ryo was just pushing all the wrong buttons.

Ryo finally turned to face Naruto. A huge innocent smile on his face. "I understand now why he left the Sound." With that Ryo turned again and started toward the arena. Naruto continued his climb. Once he reached the balcony Hinata went to stand next to Choji. Naruto went to stand where he had stood before with Sasuke. He noticed that Hibiki was standing much closer to the railing.

--

Sasuke watched as Ryo entered the arena and moved into position across from him. When Genma announces the start of the match, Sasuke falls into the same taunting stance as before. Ryo simply stands there with his arms at his sides. Sasuke knows the stance is used to make the opponent think that they are not a threat, but Sasuke doesn't fall for it. He decides not to rush in just yet. He knows Ryo is fast and good at taijutsu. So he decides to start out with long-range jutsus.

Sasuke quickly does some hand seals and raises his hand to his lips. "**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"** Ryo quickly jumps to the side but Sasuke follows him with the fireball. Ryo lands but when he notices the fire getting closer he starts doing back flips to avoid it. On his last flip, he jumps up higher then usual and throws some shuriken at Sasuke.

Sasuke drops the jutsu and quickly activating his sharingan pulls out a kunai to deflect all the shuriken. As Sasuke deflects the weapons Ryo lands and charges at Sasuke with a kunai in hand. Sasuke still wants to keep Ryo far away, so when Ryo slashes at him instead of blood Ryo sees mud. The replacement quickly turns to mud and spills all over the floor.

Ryo turns to see Sasuke in air with his hand to his lips again. **"Katon Housenka no Jutsu**" Suddenly small fireballs start to fall toward Ryo. Ryo starts to dodge them, while still keeping an eye on Sasuke. When he sees that Sasuke is no longer throwing fireballs at him, but is instead landing, Ryo quickly starts to form the seals for his tornado. Sasuke sees what Ryo is doing and he also begins to do the seals for he tornado.

"**Kaze Kamaitachi!" **

Both Sasuke and Ryo are looking at each other as their tornados collide and begin to battle it out.

"Impressive Uchiha-sama. But there are things that even your eyes can't copy."

Ryo charges at Sasuke, while still maintaining the seal of the rooster needed to control the tornado. Sasuke tries to maneuver his tornado in the path of Ryo. Ryo stops charging and instead has his tornado attack Sasuke. Sasuke is forced to drop the jutsu. Once the tornado is gone Ryo drops his jutsu and charges at Sasuke while holding a kunai. Sasuke has no time to do a jutsu so instead he pulls out a kunai as well.

Sasuke is able to see all the moves Ryo is about to make, so blocking is pretty easy. Their kunai meet and both Ryo and Sasuke push at each other. Ryo couldn't help but notice that Sasuke blocked all his moves earlier. Even when he fought Hibiki he was able to get in a hit or two.

"Your eyes, can they see the future?"

"Yes."

"What do they see?"

"My victory." With that Sasuke starts to push Ryo back with the kunai. Not wanting to be out done Ryo starts to push as well. When Ryo pushed back Sasuke moved to the side. Ryo was pushing forward with so much force that he couldn't stop himself from falling. As Ryo fell forward Sasuke attached an explosive note to his shoulder and quickly jumped away. Ryo was unaware of the note attached to his shoulder until it was too late. The explosion of the note caused a huge dust and smoke cloud to appear.

--

Hibiki couldn't stop himself from running toward the balcony railing. He stood there in silence watching the smoke cloud. The arena was completely silent as they waited to see what happened to Ryo. As the cloud began to dissipate a silhouette could be seen standing.

"Oh no." Hibiki knew what was too come. He turned to look over at where Kabuto was sitting. Kabuto had a smile on his face.

--

Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. Ryo was standing and he still had his arm. The blast should have either left him immobile or killed him. Instead here was Ryo standing. His kimono was burnt and torn and small pieces of it were bellowing around him. His hair now looked chaotic. Sasuke could see the blood running down his back. 'At least it injured him, but it should be worse then that.'

Ryo turned his head and looked at Sasuke from over his injured shoulder. His once youthful and innocent expression gone. Ryo now looked like someone who belonged to the Sound. "You will regret doing that Uchiha-sama." Without looking away he ripped off what remained of his top. His back was completely void of scars, something his other two teammates were covered in.

"How? The blast should have…."

"killed me. Yes well." It was then that Sasuke noticed the smoke coming from the wound. Ryo was healing himself. "My sensei was kind enough to teach me all about medical jutsus."

--

Naruto was shocked to say the least when he saw Ryo standing there. But when he heard Ryo say it was because of what Kabuto taught him it all made sense. "Kabuto did the same thing when we fought."

"You fought Kabuto-sensei?" Naruto turned to look at Hibiki. He hadn't meant to say that last part out loud. He nodded slowly at Hibiki. "Did you win?"

"No, but neither did he." Naruto hated to admit his losses, but this case was different. Neither of them had won. Tsunade told him that Kabuto would have died had it not been for his medical knowledge. That thought alone made his loss okay.

" I see now why sensei talked about you so much." With that Hibiki turned back to the match, leaving Naruto with more questions than answers. But Hibiki made it obvious that he was done talking, so Naruto just turned back to the match as well.

--

Sasuke was not intimidated. Ryo would have to try a lot harder to scare Sasuke. He was still confident he could win the match. He had learned a little bit about medical jutsu's from Sakura, and he knew they ate up a lot of chakra. Whatever moves or jutsu's Ryo used from now on would be finishing moves.

Ryo turned to face Sasuke and slowly began to raise his hands. Sasuke mirrored his movements and also raised his hands. They both do the seals for the tornado, expect this time when they hit they both cancel each other out.

"Let's see if you can copy this." Quickly Ryo starts to go through seals. Incredibly Sasuke copies every single seal. The number of seals is immense. Near the end Ryo and Sasuke cross their feet and rapidly turn their bodies. They use the force of the turn to create a blast that they aim at each other. The blasts once again cancel each other out. But the impact of the blast momentary hides Ryo, who takes advantage and runs behind Sasuke to attack. Once Sasuke realizes that Ryo is gone he concentrates on his surroundings and is barely able to dodge the punch aimed at his head. Ryo's momentum forces him past Sasuke, expect this time he doesn't fall. Instead he turns and without missing a beat aims another punch at Sasuke's head. This time Sasuke catches Ryo's fist and holds on to it.

A smirk appears on Ryo's face, confusing Sasuke. "Copy this." Ryo raises his free hand and begins to do one-handed seals.

'Shit, I don't know how to do that!' Sasuke had yet to learn how to do one-handed seals, since the one person he knew who could do them was dead. Not even Kakashi could teach him, since he didn't know how to either.

"**Harikeen Kaze!"**

As soon as the words escape Ryo's mouth a wall of wind begins to surround the two of them. Sasuke lets go of Ryo and turns to try and get out of the jutsu but realizes the winds are too high to jump over and too strong to run through. He suddenly realizes that if he can't get out, neither can Ryo. He turns to look at Ryo, but instead of seeing Ryo standing where he left him Sasuke sees Ryo walking right through the wall. Sasuke decides to try out what Ryo did. He walks up to one of the walls and holds out his hand. But as soon as he gets to close to the wall his hand is cut. He turns once again and sees Ryo waving at him from outside the wall. It's then that Sasuke notices the walls are closing in on him, and fast. Before he gets a chance to come up with a plan the walls close in and grab him. He's lifted off the floor and cuts begin to appear all over his body from the wind.

The winds are so strong he can't even hear himself scream. 'I'm going to lose.' Almost as soon as he thinks that he hears Naruto.

"…_You better win Sasuke…_" Sasuke remembered he told Naruto he would win. He wasn't lying when the told the blonde he would win either.

"…_How can I be Hokage if I can't even save my friend from the darkness_…" Sasuke slowly began to move his hands together.

"…_So Sasuke, how strong are you really…"_ Even with all the wind Sasuke began to form seals.

"…_You're a bastard you know that_..._"_ With the last seal formed Sasuke disappeared from the wind.

When Sasuke disappeared Ryo panicked. No one had ever escaped from this jutsu before. He began to look around frantically. He quickly noticed a few leaves circling around an area. The leaves grew in numbers and then Sasuke appeared in the middle of them. Sasuke is on his hands and knees and his body is covered in wounds. It was then Ryo realized Sasuke teleported out of the jutsu.

Not wasting a moment Ryo pulls out a kunai and charges at Sasuke. He knows he has to get Sasuke while he's down. As Ryo approaches Sasuke, Sasuke stands up and waits for Ryo to reach him. Ryo stabs Sasuke in the chest. Sasuke in return grabs on to Ryo and smiles. It's at that moment Ryo realizes his mistake. 'Kage Bunshin.' Ryo desperately tries to free himself from Sasuke but it's too late. Sasuke appears and stabs Ryo in the forearm. Turning quickly behind Ryo, Sasuke stabs Ryo's other forearm. With Ryo now unable to form seals the clone disappears and Ryo stumbles back and falls to the ground. Sasuke quickly jumps on top of Ryo and holds a kunai to his throat.

It's then that Genma grabs Sasuke's arm. Sasuke gets up and takes a few steps away from Ryo. "Winner, Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke watches as medical nins take Ryo away. One approaches him and asks him to follow. Sasuke turns to look at Naruto, who is still standing in the balcony. "No, I'll be fine." With that he starts walking toward Naruto.

"Will the next participants please come down."

Naruto jumps down from the balcony and lands right in front of Sasuke. Naruto can't help but notice all the cuts Sasuke has. "You should go get treated."

"And miss your match. No, my wounds can wait."

"Stubborn bastard."

"Don't lose." With that Sasuke walks past Naruto. When Sasuke reaches the balcony Naruto and Hinata are already facing each other.

--

Naruto simply stared at Hinata. He didn't fall into any stance or pull out any weapons. He just stood there. He was too busy thinking. No he wasn't thinking of a strategy, he was questioning himself. 'Can I beat her?' He didn't want to hurt her, but to beat her he would have to hurt her. 'Hyuuga's are tough. Last time with Neji was special.' He didn't want to have to use the Kyuubi to beat Hinata. 'How did Shikamaru do it; facing girls.' Naruto saw Hinata fall into the Hyuuga fighting stance. 'Well at least she's okay with it.'

Naruto knew that if he has to face her in a match he might as well end it quick. He knew she deserved more, a strong willing opponent but he couldn't bring himself to hurting her. He raises his hands and crosses them in a familiar seal.

"**Taiju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."**

Clones instantly surround Hinata, but she doesn't flinch. "Naruto-kun, please don't hold back because I won't."

Naruto simply stands there and says nothing. Instead he steps forward and blends in with all his clones. All the clones move in and begin to attack Hinata. While dodging and throwing clones around Hinata notices that two clones in particular stand out. One of them isn't attacking as much as the others and one is attacking more then the others. Thinking that Naruto might be one of the two she charges at them. Upon hitting the first one it disappears in a puff of smoke. She quickly turns her attention to the other clone. Upon hitting that clone in chest it falls to the ground.

"Sorry Hinata." The clone looks up at her with a sad expression and disappears. Before she can react she feels a kunai to her throat. "I know what you look for. It was easy to blend in."

Not wasting a moment Hinata begins to discharge chakra from her back, in an attempt to push Naruto away. Naruto tries to combat her chakra with his, but loses the battle and is thrown back instead. He lands in a crouched position and slides back to a stop. While still crouched down he begins to form seals.

"**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu"**

Hinata jumps to the side to avoid the fireball, but upon landing she sees that the fireball is coming right at her. Hinata begins to flip out of the way, buts she's too slow. Before Naruto drops the jutsu he has singed her arm and leg.

Once Hinata lands she once again realizes she has lost him among the remaining clones. She takes a step forward and notices that some of the clones took a step back. 'They want to stay out of range.'

'I can't keep this up.' Naruto realizes his plan to end it quick isn't turning out like he expected. Sighing deeply Naruto knows he has to use the Kyuubi chakra to end the match. He quickly dissolves all his clones. Hinata is slightly taken back by the disappearance of the clones. She simply stares at Naruto. He has no expression on his face. 'He looks like he did before Sasuke returned.' As she watches Naruto she notices that his chakra is changing color. Thinking that he's preparing to use some kind of jutsu she goes into the **Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou** stance.

Charging at Naruto she begins with two hits, then four and so on. He simply lets her hit him as he waits for the right moment to make his move. Half way through her attack Naruto sees his chance. He hits her in the right shoulder with one hand and punches her with the other.

Hinata flies back and lands in a heap of limbs. It takes her a moment or two before she can get to her feet. Naruto notices that her right arm is hanging at her side in an unnatural way and that he lip is bleeding. Hinata raises her eyes to meet his and takes a small step forward.

"Hinata, please don't make me hurt you anymore." Naruto didn't care if it sounded like he was begging. He didn't want to hurt her anymore. He was already disgusted with himself for hurting her this much, and he wasn't sure if he could hurt her more.

Hinata stood there for a moment before collapsing to her knees.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto."

Without hesitation Naruto ran toward Hinata and grabbed her. As he turned her over so she could lie on her back he could hear the angry murmur coming from the crowd. At the moment Naruto didn't care about the crowd though, his attention belonged to Hinata.

"I'm sorry."

"No it's okay. I knew you were going to be tough competition." She smiled at him. But when his expression didn't change she reached up and touched his cheek. "I'm not mad."

Naruto stood back and watched as medical nins took Hinata away. He didn't even notice Sasuke standing next to him until he put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Genma approached Naruto and Sasuke. "There will be a short intermission before the last match so the participants can prepare themselves." Genma motioned to the medical nins standing behind the boys. Naruto watched as Sasuke followed one of the nins, before he too followed.

--

Kakashi watched as his students left the arena. He was slightly worried about Naruto. He knew that match against Hinata took a toll on his spirit. The next match would prove to be an even harder challenge for the boy.

"Kakashi, how is it Naruto can take on a Hyuuga like that?" Kakashi turned to see Shikamaru looking at him. "I mean it's twice he's done it."

Kakashi took a moment to look from Shikamaru, to Neji, Shino and lastly Gai. Gai simply gave Kakashi a sympathetic look. "Naruto has his ways."

Shikamaru quickly became irritated with the vague answer. "I should have known better then to ask you."

"He's special." Neji didn't know how Naruto was able to beat the Hyuugas so easily, but that didn't really bother him.

Gai turned away from his student to look at Kakashi. He knew what it felt like to have two of his students in the main event of the chuunin tournament. But Kakashi didn't exactly have normal students. "The response from the village to the next match should be interesting."

Pulling out his novel Kakashi leaned back in his seat and began to read. "Yes, and hopefully I'll still have three students when it's all done."

----

**Meat Tank** – Um…do I really need to define this?

**Mega Baika no Jutsu** – GIANT CHOJI!!

**Rasengan** – If you don't know what this is, you should be hurt.

**Kuchiyose no Jutsu** – Summoning Jutsu

**Kokuangyou no Jutsu** – Bringer of Darkness; Used during the Hokage fight

**Heavenly Spin** – Only jutsu I translated cause typing **Hakke Shou Kaiten **gets old fast. Besides I assume when I say spin you know what I mean.

**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu - **Fire Element; Grand Fireball

**Katon Housenka no Jutsu - **Fire Element; Mythical Fire Flower – weird name, its basically fire missiles.

**Kaze Kamaitachi –** Slicing winds

**Harikeen Kaze** – Hurricane Winds

**Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou** - Divination Field, 64 Strikes

Wow I used a lot of jutsu's in this chapter. And a lot of dust and smoke clouds. Couldn't help it, clouds add to the suspense. I'm sorry if you were expecting the fighting to be a lot longer, or if you wanted more talking or angst or something. I figured that once the tournament got underway there really isn't much time to do anything else. Did anyone notice the one Orochimaru move Sasuke used?? There will be more of those to come.

I found out that I have been spelling Choji wrong. It's Chouji, but since the way I spelled it looks and sounds right I'm not gonna change it. Just another example of how I can't spell to save my life.

All those quotes I used during the match between Sasuke and Ryo are from my fic. Some are from this chapter and others are from the early chapter. The whole point of that was to show how Naruto motivates Sasuke to keep going, just like Sasuke pushes Naruto as well. So yeah…..oh and the jutsu Sasuke used to escape the winds is the same one him and Kakashi used to make their grand entrance during the first chuunin exam.

Besides I know you just want to read about the Sasuke/Naruto match. Well to be honest I'm having a hard time with that one. I have a few ideas, and jutsu's I want to use. But I'm still trying to figure out who should win the match. Should I be evil and have Sasuke win, or should I be nice and let Naruto win, what do you think??

Okay so leave reviews, likes, dislikes, death threats, new year resolutions…..


	11. Naruto Never Breaks a Promise

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. ::cries hysterically::**

**Okay I got some spoilers in this chapter. Nothing major. I ain't giving away the whole story. As a matter of fact you might not even notice the spoilers. **

**Also I seem to have forgotten the last couple chapters to thank my beta. Bernie come here and say hi to the nice people. :: Bernie comes out waves and quickly hides behind desk again:: She's a bit shy. **

**Chapter 11: Naruto Never Breaks a Promise**

_Gai turned away from his student to look at Kakashi. He knew what it felt like to have two of his students in the main event of the chuunin tournament. But Kakashi didn't exactly have normal students. "The response from the village to the next match should be interesting."_

_Pulling out his novel Kakashi leaned back in his seat and began to read. "Yes, and hopefully I'll still have three students when it's all done."_

--

Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed with all the sudden attention he was getting. He was surrounded by nurses who were healing every cut and bruise he had. He almost wanted to laugh at them though. It was really a waste of their chakra and skills. All his injuries would heal in a few days, some in a few hours. He noticed one nurse standing back from him observing the other nurses. He figured she was the head nurse.

"Why am I being healed?"

Her attention immediately shifted from the nurses to Naruto. Looking at her Naruto couldn't help but feel suddenly comfortable. She had smile wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. Her eyes were warm and loving. She approached him and Naruto noticed that she smelled of baby power.

"You're in the main event. We have to make sure you are as close to 100 as possible." She smiled at Naruto and put her hand on his cheek. The touch was affectionate and Naruto noticed that unlike his hands, hers were soft.

"Can I see Sasuke?"

"Oh no, I'm sorry you can't. Don't worry we'll take good care of your friend." Naruto couldn't help but smile when she ruffled his hair. He came to the conclusion right then and there that if all nurses were like her then he loved nurses. When the nurses were done they quickly shuffled out of the room. The head nurse turned to him before leaving. "Feel free to take a short nap. Someone will come get you in about 15 to 20 minutes."

"Thank you."

As she opened the door to leave Naruto noticed she hesitated for a moment before looking around to make sure no one was in the hall. She turned back to Naruto and smiled once again. "Good luck in your match." With that she walked out. Yup, Naruto definitely liked nurses.

--

Five minutes had passed and Naruto was already bored. He tried taking a nap, but was too excited to sleep. Deciding that going to the bathroom was more exciting then sitting in the room Naruto got up and walked into the hall. It took him a while but he eventually found the bathroom. He slowly walked into a stall and sat down. He didn't really need to go, but it killed time. As he sat there he heard two men walk in the bathroom and through the space between the door and wall he saw them approach the sink. He took note that both men were wearing chuunin vests.

"Man, this next match should be really good."

"I know what you mean."

"I hope the Uchiha wins and becomes a chuunin."

"Me too. Although I heard Uzumaki is easier to work with."

"Naw, I wouldn't want to work with a demon."

"SHHH!! You know were not supposed to talk about that."

"I know, it's just that that kid wouldn't be where he is if it weren't for _it_."

"I see what you're saying."

"The Uchiha has real power. You know I heard he left all those years ago to kill Orochimaru."

"That's not what I heard. I heard he left to gain power."

"Why would someone like him need more power? He has enough to spare. Hell I want some of his power."

"You know there's something really wrong with you."

They both started laughing as they walked out of the bathroom. Naruto on the other hand was not laughing. As a matter of fact he was furious. He opened the door to the stall and slowly began walking to back to his room.

'They think Sasuke left for honorable reasons.' He could understand how some would think that. Sasuke left and returned and Tsunade didn't punish him or make a big deal of his return almost like she was expecting him to return. Or at least that's what everyone thought. No one expect those close to the team knew the truth.

But what really bothered Naruto was the comment about the Kyuubi. Even after all he's done, there were still some who thought he was worthless. A nobody. They glared at him, called him names when he walked by, but what hurt the most was when they ignored him. He had been ignored when he was younger. People would turn their backs to him when he would approach. That was why he did pranks, to get people to stop ignoring him. If they glared or called him names it didn't bother him because they acknowledged his existence. It was only when he was ignored that it hurt.

As he walked in his room, he went to sit down on the bed. He looked straight ahead only to see a reflection of himself looking back. "I'll show them. I'll show them all."

--

"Begin."

Naruto didn't fall into a stance when Genma announced the start of the match. He just stood there and stared at Sasuke. Sasuke didn't fall into a stance either. Neither of them moved. Sasuke didn't know how long they simply stood there staring. It wasn't until Naruto spoke that he became aware of the silence that had fallen on the entire arena.

"Don't hold back on me like you did before."

"I should say the same thing to you."

Slowly Naruto began to fall into a stance. "Show me what you learned from the snake." Naruto could feel the anger radiating off of Sasuke. He watched as Sasuke slowly fell into a stance as well with his eyes closed. When Sasuke reopened his eyes he had activated his Sharingan. 'Oh he's really mad.'

Both boys rushed at each other at the same time. Naruto knew he would have a hard time landing a punch on Sasuke with his mature Sharingan, but that didn't stop him. Even though he knew all his punches and kicks were going to be blocked he put all his strength into each one.

It didn't take long for Sasuke's arms and legs to start hurting. Sure he was stopping Naruto from landing a hit but every punch and kick he blocked hurt. Naruto always had more muscle mass then Sasuke, and at this moment he was making it known. Sasuke was afraid Naruto was going to end up breaking one of his arms or legs.

When Naruto aimed a punch at his head, Sasuke took advantage and grabbed his forearm. Using Naruto's momentum, Sasuke turned his body to the side and threw Naruto over his shoulder. Naruto was caught off guard by the throw, but his instincts kicked in and he landed in a crouch position facing Sasuke. He quickly pulled out a kunai and a shuriken. He threw the kunai at Sasuke and waited a moment before throwing the shuriken.

Sasuke quickly pulled out his own kunai and deflected the one Naruto had thrown. He was about to deflect the shuriken when he saw the seals Naruto was forming. Dropping the kunai unceremoniously Sasuke quickly began to go through seals. He ended just in time to hear Naruto yell out "**Shuriken, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" and too see the one shuriken turn into too many too count.

Naruto watched as the shuriken hit Sasuke. None of them landed in any vital parts so he wasn't worried Sasuke would die. He stood up and was about to approach Sasuke when he stopped. The Sasuke standing in front of him turned into mud and melted onto the floor. Naruto immediately went on alert and started looking around for Sasuke. He was surprised when he didn't see Sasuke anywhere. It was then he realized where Sasuke was, but by then it was too late. An arm shot out of the ground right under Naruto and grabbed his ankle. Naruto was quickly pulled down until only his head was left above ground. Naruto struggled to get free, but soon realized he couldn't move. He looked up to see Sasuke walking up to him. He had a cocky smirk and on his face.

Naruto hated when Sasuke had that arrogant look on his face. But instead of yelling at him for it Naruto used that anger for something else. He closed his eyes and started to concentrate his chakra. Suddenly the ground around Naruto gave way. Sasuke had to stumble back at the force with which Naruto blew himself out of the ground. Sasuke looked up too see Naruto standing behind the hole. He was surrounded by blue chakra. Sasuke couldn't help but remember the last time he saw Naruto surrounded by blue chakra.

"…I'll definitely protect them till the end…"

Sasuke would never forget that day. Naruto kept his word and did protect him and Sakura from Gaara. He showed his true strength that day. Naruto fought Gaara with all he had, and even when he had nothing left, even when he could no longer walk he kept going.

Naruto noticed Sasuke's sudden lack of attention and decided to take advantage of it. He once again charged at Sasuke, aiming to punch him. Unfortunately Sasuke decided to pick that very moment to return his attention to Naruto. Sasuke managed to dodge the punch and the kicks that followed it. But once again his arms and legs began to hurt with each block. Sasuke saw that Naruto was about to kick him square in the chest, so he raised his arms to block the kick. The force of the kick pushed Sasuke back farther then he expected.

As he skidded to a stop Sasuke began to pull out a large shuriken. He quickly began to throw them at Naruto, who was easily dodging them. Luckily for Sasuke, Naruto didn't notice the true purpose of the shuriken.

It took Naruto a moment to realize that the shuriken were not being aimed at him. He knew Sasuke had good aim and couldn't understand how he could miss. Some of the shuriken weren't anywhere near Naruto. When the last shuriken was thrown Naruto noticed the smirk on Sasuke's face. Naruto watched as Sasuke stood and began to pull back. It was then Naruto noticed all the invisible wire surrounding him. Naruto didn't have time to do anything as the wire pulled him straight back. He didn't stop until his back hit a tree trunk. Naruto tried pulling his arm out but soon realized he was left immobile. He thought maybe he could summon his chakra again like he did in the hole. But that would only destroy the tree and not the wire. All Sasuke had to do was pull the wire tighter and Naruto would once again be tied up. Naruto needed some time to think of a plan, so he decided that distracting Sasuke would give him enough time to think of one.

"I knew that snake taught you something."

"You know nothing!"

"No need to get so mad, Uchiha-sama." The last part was said with such sarcasm that Sasuke was almost taken aback by it. He had never before seen or heard Naruto talk to him, or anyone for that matter with that tone.

"Why are you doing this?"

"To make sure you don't hold back." Sasuke was so distracted by the conversation that he didn't notice Naruto had freed one of his hands from the wire and was slowly working to free the other one.

"You told you I wouldn't hold back."

"You say a lot of things. But I want to make sure you'd fight me with everything you had so I can prove to everyone that I don't need _it_ to beat you!"

Sasuke was now thoroughly confused. He had no idea what Naruto was talking about. He made a mental note to ask Naruto after the tournament what "it" was.

"Come Uchiha-sama, show me your true power. Finish what you started three years ago."

Not one to back down from a challenge Sasuke placed the wire he was holding in his mouth and started to go through hand seals. He was so caught up in making sure he did the right seals that he once again didn't notice when Naruto freed his other hand.

--

In the audience Gai was surprised when Kakashi suddenly jumped up out of his seat. Kakashi rarely showed such emotion. The look on his face also worried Gai. He looked over to Shikamaru, Neji and Shino. All three of them were also confused.

"Kakashi, what is it?"

Without looking away from the match Kakashi answered Gai's question. "Sasuke is going to use **Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu** on Naruto."

"WHAT? But that could kill Naruto!"

"I know." Kakashi silently hoped that somehow, someway Naruto would be able to survive the jutsu.

--

It only took Naruto a second to realize what Sasuke planned to do. He quickly put his hands together and started to go through his own seals. He saw the fire surround Sasuke. Naruto couldn't help but wonder if that was what he looked like when he was surrounded by the Kyuubi chakra. He heard Sasuke yell "**Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu" **and he saw the fire approaching him. He noted that the fire was larger then anything he had ever seen or done before. He also noticed the fire looked like a dragon with its jaw open like it was about to devour him. That was the last thing he saw before everything went dark.

As the jutsu approached Naruto, Sasuke finally realized that Naruto had been forming seals of his own. He cursed himself for not noticing before. As the fire engulfed the area it was difficult to see what was happening to Naruto. Sasuke knew Naruto would be okay. He was quite aware of the blonds ability to heal faster then any medical nin, although he wasn't sure how he was able to do it. He also knew that the fire wasn't as intense as it was when he used it against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death all those years ago. He also knew that Naruto was still alive when he didn't hear a scream. The blond would probably be injured, maybe even severely, but probably nothing life threatening.

When the fire finally disappeared Sasuke had a hard time believing what he was seeing. Sasuke thought he would see a slightly burned Naruto. Instead he watched as Naruto threw open a coat of yellow spikes. It took Sasuke a moment to realize that Naruto had used a jutsu to make his hair very long and very durable and then used the hair to protect himself.

"It's called** Ninpo Marin Jijizo**, Ero-sennin taught it to me. Comes in very handy when I need that little bit of extra protection."

"I see the pervert actually took some time off from his dirty novels to teach you something." Sasuke was getting tired of the personal jabs Naruto kept throwing at him, so he decided to throw some of his own. He knew he hit a sensitive spot when Naruto's expression went sour.

"Don't you dare disrespect him!" Naruto reached down and grabbed the wire that was laying on the ground next to his feet. Standing up he quickly pulled on the wire. Sasuke still had some wire wrapped around his hands. The force of the pull sent Sasuke flying into a tree behind Naruto. As Sasuke flew by Naruto, he was cut by Naruto's hair which was still in spike form. When Sasuke hit the tree, Naruto returned his hair to its regular length and texture and quickly turned to attack Sasuke. But upon reaching the tree Naruto stopped.

'Oh god no!'

Naruto couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. Sasuke was standing with his hand on the tree, which he was using as leverage. He had his head down and there were some cuts on his left leg and arm from when he flew past Naruto. But what Naruto couldn't believe was that there were black patterns all over Sasuke's skin that looked a lot like the curse seal. When Sasuke raised his head and looked at Naruto with his Sharingan eyes, Naruto couldn't stop himself from taking a step back. Naruto watched as Sasuke took a step forward. It was at that very moment that Naruto realized his mistake. Sasuke didn't have the curse seal. The shadows created by the tree made it look like Sasuke had the seal. Naruto couldn't help but laugh at his mistake.

"What's so funny dobe?"

"For a second I thought you had the curse seal."

Sasuke looked down at his arm and saw the shadows. He could see how Naruto would think that, but that didn't stop Sasuke from thinking Naruto was an idiot.

"You really are a moron."

Naruto was about to yell something back when Sasuke disappeared from sight. Naruto saw Sasuke appear under him but he was unable to stop Sasuke's foot from connecting with his chin.

'Shit the Lion Combo!' As Naruto flew in the air he became aware of Sasuke behind him. Naruto had seen the Lion Combo before, so he knew what to expect. He knew Sasuke would first kick him on his left side, then quickly aim a punch for his face. That punch would send Naruto plummeting to the ground where Sasuke would again punch his abdomen to increase his fall and he would finish it off with a kick to the chest. Naruto knew all that, and he was ready to counter it.

Naruto sensed Sasuke behind him. He looked over to his left and watched as the kick came. He easily blocked it and turned to his right to prepare for the punch. Naruto crossed his arms over his face and waited for the punch, but it never came. Instead Naruto received a punch to the abdomen. The punch sent Naruto toward the ground. Naruto was caught completely off guard in the change of the combo. Sasuke took advantage of Naruto's confusion and punched him in the face to send him down faster. As Naruto neared the ground, Sasuke turned his body and kicked Naruto in chest with his heal.

The impact of the kick created a huge crater, with Naruto in the middle. Sasuke was thrown to the side where he landed on his back. The combo had taken a lot out of him. Sasuke slowly turned over onto his chest so he could see Naruto.

Naruto was breathing heavily. He had his eyes closed and there was blood trickling out of his mouth. Genma approached him and watched him for a short while. He turned to look at Sasuke, and Sasuke could tell by the look on his face that he had won the match. Naruto wasn't going to be getting up.

"Winner Uh-.."

"…wait…"

Genma looked down to see Naruto slowly turning over to get on his hands and knees.

"Wait, I can still fight."

Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. He watched as Naruto struggled to get on his feet. Sasuke slowly stood up as well and faced Naruto. Sasuke knew Naruto probably had little to no charka left. He knew he would have to end it now and there was only one way of doing that.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke watched as Naruto lifted his gaze from the ground to his face. He recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same look he gave to every opponent Naruto had ever faced. It was the look of determination.

"You didn't hold back, and I haven't used _it_ yet. Looks like we both kept our promise."

"I don't remember you promising me that you wouldn't use whatever that _it_ you keep talking about is." Sasuke watched as Naruto gave him a confused look. "You promised me that you wouldn't hold back."

"I did, didn't I? Well I haven't been holding back."

A silence fell between the two of them. The entire arena was silent. But one question was going through all their minds; how was it going to end?

Naruto slowly lifted his face to look at the sky. It was a beautiful day. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue with a few clouds scattered about. Naruto smiled as he watched a small bird fly across his field of vision. "This is the end isn't it?"

"Yes it is. Are you ready?"

Naruto returned his gaze to Sasuke. "Yeah I'm ready."

Both boys took their time as they began to gather their chakra. Sasuke watched as Naruto created a clone. Naruto watched as Sasuke began to go form some very familiar hand seals. Slowly the sound of the Chidori began to rise in volume. It became very obvious to Naruto that he didn't have enough chakra left to form a Rasengan that would be at the same level as Sasuke's current Chidori. Without even realizing he was doing it, Naruto began to tap into the Kyuubi chakra. The sudden surge instantly made the Rasengan forming in his hand more powerful. Naruto dispelled the clone and waited for Sasuke to finish charging up his Chidori. When Sasuke was done he too looked at Naruto. Without saying a word they both charged at each other.

As Naruto approached Sasuke, realization dawned on him. He had broken his promise. He was using _it_. He wasn't supposed to go back on his word. Kabuto's face flashed in his mind. No, Naruto was going to show him and everyone in Konoha how strong he truly was.

Naruto knew he was going too fast and was too close to Sasuke to simply dodge the attack and maybe try again. So instead Naruto closed his fist, essentially destroying the Rasengan and waited for the Chidori to hit him.

Sasuke was almost to Naruto when he saw him dissolve the Rasengan. But he was too close to do anything about it. His Chidori hit Naruto on the right side of his chest, but luckily Sasuke was able to move his arm far enough so not to hit Naruto's heart. But the force of the move resulted in his arm going straight through Naruto. Sasuke watched as Naruto coughed blood on their shoes. Sasuke was only scared for a moment before he remembered Naruto's ability to heal. Naruto had healed from a wound like this before, so he should be able to do it again. When Naruto lifted his head to look at him, Sasuke noticed that Naruto was giving him a strange look.

"This feels familiar doesn't it, Sasuke?"

The realization of the situation hit Sasuke like a ton of bricks. He looked over to the arm that was currently in Naruto and watched as Naruto grabbed it and pulled it out.

"You have no chakra left, do you Sasuke?"

Sasuke knew it was true. He had used his last bit of chakra to form the Chidori and to keep his Sharingan activated. But now his eyes were back to their dark color and he was empty. He knew the only thing keeping him up was Naruto's hold on his arm. But then again, how was Naruto able to stand?

"You're empty as well."

"Yeah, but I got something you don't have."

"And what would that be." Sasuke didn't notice Naruto preparing himself to throw a punch.

"I have something to prove." With that Naruto punched Sasuke with all he had. Sasuke fell to the floor on his side and watched as Naruto slowly walked over to him. He looked up and saw that Naruto was over reached to grab his shirt with his good arm. But Genma stopped Naruto from grabbing him.

"It's over." Sasuke knew that those words for their ears only, and not the whole arena. "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto."

Sasuke waited for the crowd to cheer, but when it came it wasn't as enthused as he expected. With help from Genma, Sasuke slowly stood up. One look at Naruto's face and suddenly he didn't feel so bad about losing. Naruto looked both relived and happy, and Sasuke knew if Naruto could jump he would be doing cart wheels.

"I did it. I won."

Sasuke was about to congratulate Naruto, when Naruto suddenly fell over. Without a second thought Sasuke was by his side. His panic and terror somehow fueling his body to move and respond on it's own.

"Naruto!" Sasuke, with help from Genma, quickly ripped open Naruto's jacket. The hole in Naruto's chest wasn't closing up. Sasuke noticed a pool of blood was forming underneath Naruto. "Oye Naruto, why aren't you healing? You're supposed to heal!"

Without opening his eyes, Naruto smiled. "I promised I wouldn't use _it_."

"Naruto, heal! Heal like you did the last time! Come on damnit, HEAL!"

--

"Shizune, go down there now!"

Without a second thought, Shizune jumped off the balcony and onto the arena floor. Tsunade watched as Shizune and a large group of medical nins surround Naruto and Sasuke. She wanted to go down there and make sure Naruto was okay, but she couldn't leave her seat.

"What a shame, Sasuke-kun lost."

Tsunade turned her head to the side and glared at Kabuto. If looks could kill, Kabuto would have been screaming bloody murder. She knew Kabuto was completely ignoring her, but that didn't stop her.

"Hmm I wonder if Naruto-kun will live?"

"Don't talk about him as if you know him."

Without moving his head, Kabuto moved his eyes to glare back at Tsunade.

"I know more about that boy, both of them as a matter of fact then you ever will. And if I were you I would watch my tone, Hokage-sama." Kabuto turned his attention back to the arena and once again proceded to ignore Tsunade.

'I really do hate this man'

--

Sasuke wanted to shake Naruto. He wanted to yell at him for pulling a prank during a tournament. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that this wasn't a prank. That for the first time in his life, Naruto was truly hurt.

"Naruto snap out it! I came back here because of you! DAMNIT NARUTO!"

Sasuke suddenly became aware of the medical nins that were trying to pull him away from Naruto. But he wasn't ready to leave Naruto. He wanted to make sure Naruto was alright. It wasn't until Kakashi grabbed him and spoke to him that he stopped fighting.

"Sasuke, let them take him away so that they can treat him."

"Why Kakashi? Why isn't he getting up like he always does? I didn't want to kill him. Our moves were supposed to cancel each other out like the last time. It wasn't supposed to be this way."

Kakashi helped Sasuke lay down on a stretcher being carried by two medical nins. "Don't worry, he won't die. Naruto is stronger then that."

Die.

No, Naruto can't die. He won't die. That was Sasuke's last thought before he passed out on the stretcher.

--(A week later)—

"Will you let me go see Naruto now?"

Three days after the tournament had ended Sasuke woke up. The first thing he said that day was "Naruto?" Thankfully he was told that Naruto was alive, but had yet to wake up. Sasuke had spent the next two days gathering his strength so he could walk down the hall and actually see Naruto. But when Kakashi found out about his plan he ordered Sasuke to stay in bed until he was told he could walk around. This obviously frustrated him to no end. On his sixth day in the hospital Sakura come to tell him that Naruto had finally woken up. But she quickly told him that until Tsunade gave him permission he was not to leave his bed.

Finally after a week of waiting, Tsunade had come to talk to Sasuke.

"So, will you let me go see Naruto?"

After a pause, that Sasuke felt was unnessarily long Tsunade answered him. "After he eats and has his bandages changed you can go see him."

"What time are his bandages usually changed?"

"Around 1:30."

Tsunade waited for Sasuke to either ask another question or say Thank You. When neither came she turned and started to walk out the door.

"Wait." She turned to see Sasuke looked out the window instead of looking at her. "Has he asked about me?"

"Actually, since he's woken up you're all he's asked about." She watched as Sasuke's shoulders fell. The movement was more of a release of tension movement then one of disappointment. She walked out of the room and left Sasuke to his thoughts.

--

Around 1:00, Sakura decided to pay Sasuke a visit. She hadn't spent as much time with him as she had liked, but with her injuries, Naruto's injuries and Lee worrying himself half to death over her, she was left with little time.

When she walked in Sasuke's room she took note that he was sitting in the chair usually reserved for guest and was facing the window. She walked over to the side of the bed closest to the window and sat down. A few minutes went by before he finally spoke to her.

"Sakura, what is _it_?"

Sakura instantly knew what Sasuke was talking about, but she chose to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sasuke knew she was lying. He knew there were only a few people who knew almost everything about Naruto, and she was one of them. "Sakura don't lie to me. I need to know."

"It is not my place to tell you."

Sasuke got up and stood directly in front of her. "Sakura, when did he tell you?"

"Shortly after you left."

Sasuke looked over at the clock on the wall. It was 1:12. "Do you think he'll tell me?"

Sakura thought about Sasuke's question. When Naruto had told her about the Kyuubi it was becasue she had asked the right quesitons. Naruto said he felt he needed to tell her, so she could come to her own conclusions about him. But would he tell Sasuke? She lifted her head to look at Sasuke's face. There was an emotion on his face that she had never seen there before. Desperation.

"Yes, I think he will." She watched as he turned to look at the clock on the wall again.

1:14

"You know I don't think he'll mind if you're early." She didn't have to say another word. As soon as the words were out of her mouth Sasuke was already walking toward the door to his room. "Sasuke." She heard him stop walking and knew he was listening to her. "Let him finish talking before you ask any questions. It'll make it easier for him." The only thing Sakura heard was Sasuke open the door and walk out.

--

When Sasuke walked into Naruto's room there was a nurse there changing his bandages. Both of them looked up and watched him walk over to a chair and sit down, offically announcing that he wasn't going anywhere. The nurse turned her attention back to Naruto and continued with she was doing. Sasuke noticed that Naruto was avoiding eye contact with him. When the nurse turned to the tray she had on the nightstand to grab some more supplies, Sasuke was finally able to see the full extent of the damage. The hole in Naruto's chest was now completely closed. All that remained was a large scab. A little to the left of the scab was a similarly sized scar. As Sasuke passed his eyes over Naruto's chest he realized that that was the only scar he had. But he was sure that now it would be joined by another. He felt a sudden pang of gulit when he realized he was the only person to probably ever scar Naruto.

The nurse taped gauze over the scab on Naruto's chest and back. As she cleaned up her supplies the silence was broken by Naruto.

"Could I have a moment with Sasuke?"

Without stopping what she was doing the nurse opened a drawer on the nightstand and pulled out a "Do Not Disturb" sign. As she walked past Naruto she ruffled his hair, causing a smile to cross his face. When she closed the door Naruto finally turned to look Sasuke in the face.

"I take it you want to know." Sasuke nodded. "Where should I begin. Hmm I guess I should start from the beginning then. What do you know about the Yondaime?"

Sasuke didn't understand why he was asking him such a strange question. But Sakura had told him to let Naruto talk, so he decided to play along. "He died while defeating the Kyuubi."

"When did he die?"

"October 10th, fifteen years ago."

"Do you know how he died?"

"I told you already, he died defeating the Kyuubi." Sasuke was starting to get frustrated. None of these questions had anything to do with Naruto.

"No, that's not how he died. He knew a jutsu that would summon the Death God and seal away the Kyuubi's soul."

"How do you know this?" Sasuke was having a hard time trying to understand how Naruto would know about something he didn't witness.

"Ero-Sennin told me. He was the Yondaime's sensei." Naruto turned to look out the window. This next part was going to be hard to talk aboutm but doing it while looking at Sasuke would make it even harder. "The jutsu he used though had a price. He lost his life using that jutsu, and the Kyuubi was sealed away."

"Naruto I don't understand." Sasuke was now completely frustrated. Naruto had yet to answer his question. "What does any of this have to do with you?"

"The Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi away in a child. Why I don't know."

"Naruto I still don't understand."

"How old am I?"

This was turning into twenty questions, and Naruto was seriously testing Sasuke's patience. "Your fifteen."

"Sasuke do you know when my birthday is?"

"Yeah, October 10th. Naruto I still don't understand..." Sasuke stopped talking mid sentence. It was all starting to come together. Naruto was born the same day the 4th died. Naruto mentioned that the Kyuubi was sealed in a child on that day. Could that child be Naruto? No that's not possible. People don't seal demons in children. But Gaara had a demon in him, he had seen it first hand. But Sasuke hadn't seen Naruto's demon. Wait he had. When they fought in the valley three years ago. Naruto's eyes had changed color, and he had this weird chakra. Was that Naruto's demon?

"He sealed the Kyuubi in me. I have the seal to prove it. Do you want to see it?" Naruto watched as Sasuke hesitantly nodded his head. Naruto lowered the covers to and exposed his belly button. Channeling a little bit of chakra, he watched as the seal appeared around his navel. Sasuke slowly walked over to Naruto and looked down at the seal. Sasuke couldn't stop himself from reaching out and touching the seal.

"How long have you known?"

"I found out after we graduated from the academy. Mizuki told me then tried to kill Iruka. It was a huge mess. I ended up beating Mizuki and Iruka gave me his forehead protector."

Sasuke always knew that Iruka and Naruto held a special bond, he just never understood why. But after hearing this, he finally understood. "Is this," he pointed to the seal, "the reason so many people hate you?"

"Yes. I never understood why people would ignore me, So I started to pull pranks to get their attention. I would much rather have them glare and say comments to me then ignore me."

"Why?" Sasuke didn't understand. If he were in that situation he would much rather be left alone.

"Because then they acknowledge my existence."

It all made sense now. The pranks, the looks, the glares, all of it made sense. Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little guilty at his treatment of Naruto. Sensing the guilt washing over Sasuke, Naruto spoke up. "Don't feel guilty. You are one of the first people to acknowledge me."

Sasuke turned to see an all too familiar smile on Naruto's face. "Naruto why didn't you use the Kyuubi during our match, like you did before?"

"I overheard some ninja's talking about how I was nothing without the Kyuubi. So I wanted to prove them wrong."

"You don't need to prove anything to anyone."

"Sasuke, do you think any different of me? Will you still be my friend?"

"God's are you an idiot."

The smile returned to Naruto's face once again. Everything was going to be okay. Sasuke still had a lot of questions to ask, but those could wait until later. If anything he could probably ask Sakura, so as not to make Naruto feel like he was being interrogated. Sasuke went to grab the chair and pulled it closer to the side of the bed. The rest of the visit was spent talking about mundane topics. They had both had their fill of serious conversations.

"Oye Sasuke, when are we gonna find out who gets promoted to chuunin?"

"We should find out within the next few weeks."

--

**Shuriken, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** – Shuriken, Shadow Clone (except these are real)

**Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu - **Fire Element; Dragon Fire Technique

**Ninpo Marin Jijizo** – Underworld Spikes

**Lion Combo** – Sasuke's version of the Leaf Shadow Dance

**Chidori** – Lighting Edge, if you don't know what this is you should be hurt.

**Rasengan** – I shouldn't have to tell you what this is.

HURRAY FOR THE CRAPTACULAR CHAPTER!! NARUTO WON!!

Okay let me say that I had a lot more planned for the fight, but I scrapped alot of my ideas cause well, I was getting tired. Now before I get yelled at for the sudden tiredness of Sasuke allow me to defend myself. My understanding of chakra is that it comes from stamina. A person transforms stamina into chakra.

Has anyone ever known someone who smelled like baby powder? It's such a comforting smell.

Let me also say that my original plan of the fight had Sasuke winning, but I quickly scrapped that idea. Okay nothing else to say.

**FF Reviews**

**marshmellowgang – **I thought about ending the battle in a draw. But I changed my mind.  
**dojo** – maybe  
**bhodi li** – thanks for the comment on the combat. Yeah I tried to use some Oro jutsus, but some of them are really, really, REALLY creepy.  
**nonengel** - well both actually. I'm gonna play it slow and see where it all leads.  
**shinobi36** – Thanks for all the comments on the fights. I would respond to them all, but that would take forever. Besides theres always reviews 

**AFF Reviews**

**black** – sorry about that. I will however take your comment on Kiba into consideration. Hopefully this chapter was up to your standards :D  
**Yami Jay** – I thought about a draw and decided against it. That nagging feeling about Kabuto…..go with it.  
**Akumariver** – Sorry about the cliffhanger. I'll try to work on it.  
**Monkey Lady** – Before I comment on your comment (Oo) let me just say…..I LOVE MONKEYS!! Anyway, I already have a beta, its my roomie. She's so kind. I'll try to throw in some romance. I'm a sucker for romance.

Remember to leave reviews, flames, comments, hate mail, plushies.......


	12. Family

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. :cries hysterically:**

**Thanks to my beta. She knows how to read jibberish.**

**Chapter 12: Family**

_The smile returned to Naruto's face once again. Everything was going to be okay. Sasuke still had a lot of questions to ask, but those could wait until later. If anything he could probably ask Sakura, so as not to make Naruto feel like he was being interrogated. Sasuke went to grab the chair and pulled it closer to the side of the bed. The rest of the visit was spent talking about mundane topics. They had both had their fill of serious conversations._

"_Oye Sasuke, when are we gonna find out who gets promoted to chuunin?"_

"_We should find out within the next few weeks."_

-

After two weeks in the hospital Naruto was finally being released. He wanted nothing more then to sleep in his own bed, and eat real food. The thought of Sakura's cooking was enough to make him drool. He dressed quickly. Iruka had informed him the day before that he was going to be the one to pick him up and take him home. Unlike Kakashi, Iruka was known for his punctuality and Naruto didn't want to ruin his morning by angering Iruka. Naruto stopped to look at the clock on the wall. He had only about five more minutes before Iruka showed up. Grabbing his toothbrush he rushed to the bathroom. As he was about to walk in, the calendar on the wall caught his attention.

'Wow, I totally forgot what today was.'

He walked in the bathroom and proceeded to brush his teeth. As he looked at himself in the mirror he couldn't help but think of what today meant. He was too caught up in his thoughts to hear Iruka walk in the room.

"Naruto, are you here?"

Upon hearing Iruka's voice, Naruto rinsed his mouth and walked out of the bathroom. Iruka was sitting on the bed when Naruto walked in. Without saying a word Naruto walked over and hugged him. Iruka returned the hug. He couldn't help but feel a sudden warmth fill his heart.

'I wonder if this is how my father felt when he hugged me?'

After some time Naruto stepped back and grabbed the small bag on the bed. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go to your place first so you can drop off that bag then we'll go."

-

Upon arriving home Naruto couldn't help but notice how quiet the house was. He walked over to the kitchen and saw Sakura sitting at the table holding a mug, with what he assumed was coffee.

"Sakura-chan?"

She jumped slightly when he said her name. She didn't even hear him walk in. "Welcome home, Naruto."

Naruto couldn't help but give her a cheesy smile. Every time she said those words he swore his heart would swell. No one had ever said those words to him before. It wasn't until they moved in together that he heard them. He remembered that day as if it were yesterday; he had just gotten back from a one-day mission. As soon as he closed the door Sakura walked up to him and said "Welcome home Naruto." That was the only time he could remember shedding tears of joy.

"It's good to be back home Sakura. Where's Sasuke?" Naruto motioned for her to follow him to his room. Sakura got up, leaving her mug on the table.

"He's still in bed. He was out late last night."

"Doing what?"

"Training I think. He seems to have a lot on his mind lately."

Naruto walked in his room and put his bag on the bed. "You know I told him."

"Yeah I know. He came to me first, but I didn't say anything."

Naruto turned to her and smiled. "Iruka is waiting outside. I'll see you tonight."

Sakura nodded and moved out of the way so Naruto could walk out of his room. As they walked down the hall toward the front door, Sakura reached out and grabbed Naruto's arm. "Oh I almost forgot. Wait here." Sakura quickly ran to her room. She came out a few moments later with her hands behind her back. "I made you something."

"Sakura, you didn't have too."

"But I wanted too." When she was standing in front of Naruto she brought her hands out from behind her and held them out. In one hand she held a dark blue knitted scarf. Naruto noted that at both ends of the scarf there were orange spirals. In the other hand she held a modified forehead protector. "It's going to be getting cold soon so I made you the scarf. I know that sometimes your hair can get in the way of missions, so I had this forehead protector made for you. It ties around your head and keeps your hair out of your face. It's good for stealth as well."

Naruto reached out and took the two items. The scarf was extremely soft at the touch. With one hand he draped it around his neck. The length was perfect, not too long and not too short. He then opened the forehead protector to get a good look at it. It looked a lot like the one Genma had, except this one tied at the back and the Konoha emblem was made of a darker metal. Moving it around Naruto noted that it didn't reflect as much light as the normal emblems.

"Thanks Sakura-chan. I love them!" Naruto took a step forward and hugged her tightly.

"Naruto you should go. You don't want to keep Iruka-sensei waiting." Sakura took a small step back and took the forehead protector out of Naruto's hand. "I'll put this on your bed."

Remembering that Iruka was still waiting outside, Naruto let Sakura take the present and turned to run out the house. He yelled one last thank you before slamming the door closed. Sakura stood in the hallway for a few moments before turning to go to Naruto's room. After placing his present on his bed, Sakura walked back to the kitchen table and returned to her forgotten mug. She wasn't there five minutes before Sasuke walked in. He sat next to her and she noticed he had a confused look on his face.

"Where did he go?" It was then Sakura realized that Sasuke didn't know what today was. She felt stupid for not telling him sooner. It was so routine for her that she forgot that there were people in the house who didn't know.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. But today is Naruto's birthday. Every year he spends today with Iruka-sensei. I don't know what they do. We usually celebrate when he gets back."

"I know today's his birthday, I just didn't know he spent it with Iruka." One of the reasons Sasuke was out late the night before was because he had bought Naruto a birthday present. It wasn't something as sentimental as the one's Sakura had given Naruto, but it would do. He was just to embarrassed to tell anyone he had shopped for the dobe.

"When he comes home we usually have some people come over and we have dinner. I hope you don't mind. I really should have said something sooner."

"No it's okay. This is something you do every year. Don't stop just because I didn't know." Sasuke just hoped that the night wouldn't be ruined because of other people's feelings toward him. He knew that Naruto and Sakura welcomed him back. Lee accepted him back because of Sakura. The others had not been so welcoming. Kiba had made that obvious at the chuunin exam.

-

Naruto reached out and touched the tree in front of him. This was the tree he had sat under when Iruka gave him his forehead protector. He had graduated from the academy under this tree. Every year since then, he would spend the day here with Iruka on his birthday. Somehow sitting under this tree made them both feel safe, like they could talk about anything and everything and yet nothing at all. It was a strange feeling, but neither of them would trade it for the world.

Naruto turned and sat down on the blanket Iruka had set out. Iruka sat across from him and there was a picnic basket between them. They both reached out and started grabbing food. They ate in silence.

Iruka looked up and studied Naruto when he wasn't paying attention. He took note of how much Naruto had grown over the years. His face was more mature, yet still held on to some of his innocence. His eyes were large and full of life, especially after Sasuke's return, yet he knew that when in battle those eyes were sharp and piercing. His hair was long and untamed, much like his personality. He knew Naruto was a good boy, and would turn into a wonderful man. He would turn into someone Iruka would be proud to call son. But whether or not Naruto wanted that was yet to be seen. It was the one thing Iruka hesitated in talking to Naruto about.

"I was very proud of you Naruto during the tournament."

Naruto stopped eating and looked up at Iruka. "You were there?"

"Of course I was there. Did you honestly think I would miss it?"

"You missed it last time." Naruto recalled the first time he had been in the tournament. Iruka was unable to attend because he had to be at the academy that day.

"I know, and I didn't want that to happen again." Iruka leaned forward and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Ero-Sennin wasn't there though. You'd think he'd show up to at least see how I would do."

"Jirayia-sama was there. He just isn't one to show his care for someone out in the open."

"How do you know he was there?"

"I caught a glimpse of him. He had this cocky smile on his face." Iruka watched as the look on Naruto's face went from one of disappointment to happiness.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei." After a small pause, Iruka stood up and walked over to one of the trees. "What are you doing?"

"I hid your birthday present over here." Naruto stood up and walked over to where Iruka was standing. Iruka reached behind the tree and pulled out a short katana. The handle and the sheath fit together in such a way that it was difficult to tell where one started and the other ended. The sheath and handle were an elegant black. Iruka pulled the sheath off to reveal the blade. The blade had flames carved into it all the way to the tip. Naruto stared at the blade speechless. "This katana used to belong to my father. He passed it on to me before he died, but I never had any use for it. I want you to have it Naruto."

"Your father gave it to you. It's an heirloom then. You should give it to your son or daughter or something." Naruto wanted nothing more then to grab the katana, but he still took a small step back. Iruka should give the katana to his children, when he had them, not to some orphan.

Iruka re-sheathed the katana and held it out. "Naruto I want you to have the katana."

"But what about when you have a son or – " Naruto was interrupted by Iruka who shoved the katana into Naruto's hands.

"I already have one Naruto, or at least I hope I do."

Naruto wasn't sure he understood Iruka correctly. It almost sounded like he had insinuated that Naruto was his son. But that didn't make sense to Naruto. So he just stood there in silence, with the katana in his hand. Iruka looked almost desperate.

"Naruto, I would be proud to call you my son. I've seen you grow and mature. I can see the kind of man you'll grow up to be and it makes me so proud. You make me proud. I just hope that maybe one day you'll be able to call me father." It was all up to Naruto now. Iruka had laid it all out for Naruto. It was Naruto's decision to make and whatever it may be Iruka knew he would have to respect it. Even if that decision crushed his heart.

"You want me as your son?" Iruka nodded at Naruto's question. "You want to be my father?" Once again Iruka nodded. Naruto looked down at the katana in his hand. He knew the significance of the present. Someone cared. Iruka cared. Even though the Kyuubi killed his parents. Even though Naruto held the Kyuubi he still cared. He wanted Naruto as his son. Naruto felt tears fall down his cheeks. "I can only hope that I will be able to continue to make you proud of me….." Naruto looked up with tears in his eyes at Iruka. "….Dad."

Without saying a word Iruka rushed forward and crushed Naruto in a hug. Iruka held Naruto as he openly sobbed into his vest. Naruto finally had a family of his own. Being an orphan himself, Iruka knew how he felt about having a family once again, but he could only imagine how Naruto felt. Someone who had never known the feeling of having a family, suddenly had one. Iruka knew the tears Naruto shed weren't of pain but of relief and shear happiness. Without letting go Iruka leaned down so Naruto would be able to hear him speak. "Happy 16th birthday, my son."

-

It had been a long time since Sasuke had last been to a party. As a matter of fact, now that he thought about it he's never been to a party, much less planned one. Thankfully Sakura took it upon herself to do all the planning. She had no problem ordering him around. When Lee showed up, things got a little easier. Naruto was supposed to show up around five and everyone else at around seven. That gave them enough time to finish up and spend some quality time together.

"Sakura-chan, I'm back!"

"We're in the kitchen Naruto." Naruto walked in the kitchen with an overly cheerful Iruka behind him. Sasuke noted that Naruto was holding a short katana in his hand.

"Look what I got."

Sakura, Lee and Sasuke all walked over to Naruto. Sasuke took the katana from Naruto and unsheathed it. Sakura gasped at the sight of the blade.

"Naruto-kun, it's beautiful. Did Iruka-sensei give it to you?" Naruto nodded at Lee's question, then turned to look at Iruka, who was nervously scratching at the scar across his nose. There was an obvious blush on his face as well.

"It used to belong to my father."

Naruto took back the katana and turned to walk to his room. Lee went back to the kitchen to finish the chore assigned to him and Sakura busied herself by offering Iruka some tea. Sasuke waited until everyone was no longer paying attention to him before following Naruto. On his way to Naruto's room, Sasuke grabbed the bag that held Naruto's present. The door to Naruto's room was open so Sasuke just walked in. Naruto was sitting on his bed, looking down at the katana he held.

"Sasuke will you shut the door, I have something to tell you."

Sasuke shut and locked the door before taking a seat next to Naruto. He put the bag on the floor, out of view. Sasuke just looked at the floor between his feet as he waited for Naruto to start talking.

"He said his dad gave him this before he died." Naruto paused before continuing. "The Kyuubi killed both his parents. And yet he never once showed any anger or resentment towards me."

"Naruto why should he be mad at you for something you didn't do." Sasuke didn't know Iruka was an orphan, not that it changed the way he viewed the man. What his mind was trying to wrap itself around was this burden Naruto felt he had to carry with him. "All those people who hate you are bigger idiots then you can ever be. They don't know you. If they took just five minutes out of their insignificant lives to talk to you they would see that their anger and hate was misplaced."

Sasuke could see Naruto out of the corner of his eye staring at him with his mouth open. "Did you just compliment me Sasuke?"

"Look I'm not going to repeat myself okay." For what seemed like the millionth time in one day Naruto felt his heart swell. "What was it you were going to tell me?"

"I was getting to that. Geez have some patience."

Sasuke couldn't help but smack Naruto on the head. Being told by the most impatient person he knew to be patient was too much. Sasuke could feel his eyebrow twitch when Naruto just gave him a cheesy smile instead of yelling or hitting him back. Naruto was finally getting back into the swing of things when it came to Sasuke and what buttons to push.

"Iruka said he wanted his son to have the katana." Sasuke felt his eyes go wide at the statement. "He called me his son, Sasuke.

"That's great Naruto." The words lacked any emotion behind them and for a split second Sasuke thought Naruto was going to get really mad at him. Naruto had just been given quite possibly the greatest gift ever and Sasuke couldn't show him how happy he was for him. Instead images of his own father kept popping up, reminding him that he didn't have a family to call his own.

"You miss your dad don't you?" Sasuke didn't want to answer Naruto. Naruto always had the ability to get him to open up, except this time opening up might result in Sasuke crying. But Sasuke had promised himself he wouldn't cry anymore. So he just sat there and let Naruto do all the talking. "You know I meant what I said all those years ago about how I feel about you."

Sasuke flinched at the comment. "I meant it when I said I see you as a brother. I still feel that way. We don't have to call each other brother or anything. It's gonna take me a while to get used to calling Iruka dad. But I just want you to know that you're not alone either."

Sasuke couldn't stop his eyes from watering up. This was too much. He wanted to run out of the room. Wanted to get away from Naruto. He didn't want to show Naruto how much those words meant to him. But he couldn't get up he was frozen in place. He saw Naruto get up and get down on his knees in front of him. He felt Naruto place his hands on his shoulders and push back a little so he could see his face.

"As long as I'm here you will never be alone." Sasuke felt the tears fall down his face. "And don't worry I won't tell anyone you cried, even though there's nothing wrong with that."

"I haven't cried since that time. And you better not tell."

Naruto smiled at the comment. Sasuke always had to sound like a bad ass, no matter what the situation was. Naruto looked down and noticed the small bag at Sasuke's feet. "What's in the bag?"

Sasuke had completely forgotten about the bag. "Open it. It's for you Naruto."

Naruto grabbed the bag and sat back on the floor in front of Sasuke. He watched as Naruto pulled out the hand and shin protectors. "I noticed that during our match you hit pretty hard. Those protectors will make sure you don't break any bones, being the moron that you are."

"Wow thanks Sasuke. I can wear these under my pants, and these hand protectors look different from the ones issued to jounins."

"I had those specially made. I know you have that small spiral tattoo on your palm, and I thought maybe you didn't want to cover that up. Besides the Rasengan might destroy the jounin issued protectors."

Naruto was speechless. It was one thing to have Sakura give him specially made things, but Sasuke? He never gave anyone anything. Naruto had been expecting a "Happy Birthday Dobe" and that was it. But this was too much. He went to stand up, dropping the bag out of his lap when he saw a picture fall out. Naruto bent over to pick up the picture before standing up completely. What he saw took his breath away. It was him and Sasuke during their one month of training before the tournament. During that month they had trained separately and only saw each other during meals. A few days before Jirayia left, he had insisted that Naruto and Sasuke pose for a picture. After about ten minutes of nagging Sasuke had finally agreed. In the picture Naruto was crouching with his elbows resting on his knees. He held his face with his left hand. Sasuke stood behind his left shoulder with his back slightly turned at an angle. The pose only showed the right side of Sasuke's face. Only Naruto was smiling in the picture, but there was a small hint of amusement in Sasuke's eyes.

"I thought you might want that."

"Wow thanks Sasuke. Hey can you write the date or something on the back?"

Sasuke took the picture from Naruto's hand and walked over to the nightstand. He looked around for a pen before turning the picture over. After writing the date and a small note he handed the picture back before walking out the room. Naruto took the picture and turned it over after Sasuke had walked out. On the back was the date and in Sasuke's near perfect penmanship, "For the brother I wish I had." Naruto just smiled at the line before placing the picture on the nightstand and walking out of his room as well.

-

The party was in full swing, and Sakura couldn't be any happier. Everyone was there and Naruto was happy. He had pulled her aside earlier and told her about the significance of the present Iruka gave him. She had cried and hugged Naruto until he told her to let go because he thought she had broken some of his ribs. He told her not to say anything though. He was still trying to get used to the idea and didn't need the extra pressure of other people butting in. She had promised not to say anything, not even to Lee. But by the smile he gave her, she knew he expected her to tell Lee……eventually.

Sakura walked around making sure everyone had something to eat, or drink. She had brought out some extra chairs from the bedrooms to make sure everyone had a place to sit. People were talking and laughing. Naruto was being showered with presents. The conversation of the night was the tournament and how Naruto really surprised everyone. Sakura received some praise as well. As Sakura walked toward their bedrooms to change her shoes she noticed that Sasuke was leaning up against the wall and that no one was talking to him.

"Sasuke, quite the wallflower aren't you?" Ignoring her throbbing feet for a moment, Sakura leaned against the wall next to Sasuke.

"It's nice to see everyone interacting."

"I know you've never been the social type, but really you should go talk to someone. At least spend some time with Naruto or Lee. They won't push you away."

"I don't want to force anyone into a conversation with me."

Sakura sighed heavily and pushed herself off the wall. "Forcing someone to talk with you and trying to get someone to talk to you are two different things. It won't kill you to try." With that she walked down the hall to her room, leaving Sasuke behind to think about what she said.

Sasuke knew she had a point. If he was to work with these people he would have to try and patch things up. He quickly looked around the room before finding the head of untamed yellow hair he was looking for. As he approached Naruto he saw that he was talking with Neji.

"…yeah I'll spar with you sometime. Oh there you are Sasuke, I thought you were in your room."

Sasuke felt Neji look at him. Neither one of them was known for being conversationalist, but with Naruto around anything could happen. Turning to look at Neji, Sasuke decided he would be the one to break the ice.

"I heard you made chuunin a while back and that in your tournament you fought Lee."

Naruto realized what Sasuke was trying to do, so he kept quiet.

"Me and Lee were the last match. It was inevitable that we would face each other."

"Who won?"

Sasuke watched a smirk spread across Neji's face. As Neji turned to walk away he said over his shoulder, "I'll tell you all about it some other time."

Sasuke returned the smirk and watched Neji walk over to where Tenten and Ino were talking. Neji had said some other time, that meant they would get a chance to talk later. Neji had given Sasuke a chance, and Sasuke could ask for nothing more.

"Ano, Sasuke? Neji said that tomorrow we should find out who made chuunin and who didn't."

"About time."

The rest of the night Naruto and Sasuke traveled around the house starting up small conversations with everyone there. Slowly people were starting to warm up to Sasuke. Having Naruto there helped a lot. When people saw how the two of them interacted it was easy to see that Sasuke had changed. He wasn't as cold as he was all those years ago. All in all it was a great night.

-

Knock!

Opening her eyes, Sakura could only hope that the knock she heard was all a dream.

Knock Knock!

Maybe if she ignored them, they would go away.

Knock Knock Knock!

Nope, they weren't going anywhere. Getting up, she grabbed her robe and walked down the hall toward the front door. She heard Naruto and Sasuke open the door to their rooms.

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK!

"IT'S 3AM MUST YOU REALLY KNOCK SO HARD!" Sakura threw the door open as she yelled at whoever was knocking. She didn't care anymore about looking nice or acting nice.

"Good morning to you too Sakura."

Sakura could tell that Kakashi was smiling when his eye curved upward. "What do you want?"

"My, my. The one time I use the door you still get mad. Well I just thought you three should know that you are expected to show up at the jounin meeting room, since you three made chuunin."

"We did?" Sakura turned to see that Naruto and Sasuke were standing in the living room. Naruto wore only his boxers. He had the worse case of bed hair she had ever seen, which said a lot considering his hair was already untamed. Sasuke had on some pajama pants and a tank top. His hair didn't look so bad, but he did have sheet markings on the right side of his face.

"Yes you did, and I am very proud of you guys. Now go back to bed. You are to be there at 9am." And with that Kakashi walked away.

"Seriously, why can't we have a normal sensei?"

-

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were seated in the back of the meeting room. The room looked a lot like the rooms at the academy, expect larger. There were a lot of chuunins in room. But Naruto didn't care about them; he wanted to see who passed the exam as well. Near the front of the room he saw the back of Hinata and Choji's head, but no Kiba. He also noticed that all the people in the room were from Konoha, so he had no way of knowing if Hibiki or Ryo passed. Shortly thereafter a tall, broad shouldered jounin walked in the room.

"My name Teisukawa Hijiro. I am the jounin in charge of assigning chuunins to their positions. Many of you are here to be reassigned, and a few of you are newly promoted chuunins. For those of you that are newly promoted chuunins let me give you some information. If, for whatever reason you decide that you are happy being a chuunin and do not want to be promoted to a jounin please go to the Anbu headquarters and tell them. They are in charge of the jounins. This decision can be changed at any time. We ask that you do that because it's a waste of time to observe and critique a chuunin who does not wish to be promoted. Am I making sense thus far?"

A few people in the room nodded while others said yes. "All other questions can be answered by your former sensei's. When I call your name please come down to receive your vest and your assignment. As soon as you are assigned, please leave the room. Understand, good. Haruno Sakura?"

Upon hearing her name Sakura quickly stood up and quickly approached Hijiro. He handed her a chuunin vest, which she promptly put on. "You have been given a special assignment. The Hokage has requested that you start working in the hospital and said that from this day forth you are her official apprentice. Congratulations Haruno-san."

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Hokage wants to be her sensei. As she turned to walk out of the room people kept congratulating her. As she walked out she heard Hijiro call Hinata's name.

When Hinata's name was called Sasuke leaned back in his chair. It was Sasuke's understanding that the winner of the tournament got first pick as to where they wanted to be assigned. Calling Sakura first, made sense, but Naruto's name should have been called next. Instead Hinata's was. Sasuke began to realize the kind of treatment Naruto received on a daily basis, but this was absurd. This was a jounin who should know better then to break the rules.

"Sasuke what's wrong?"

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto. Obviously he didn't understand what had just happened. Not wanting to create a scene Sasuke just shook his head at Naruto. Naruto turned back to the front of the room and waited for his name to be called. It took half an hour before Sasuke's name was called, but by that point the only other person in the room was Naruto. Sasuke knew that both of them were being purposely alienated.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you will be assigned to carry out missions. Here is your vest." Sasuke took his vest and began to walk toward the door. He stopped before opening the door when he realized Hijiro hadn't called Naruto's name yet. Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, who in turn looked at him. They shared a confused look before Naruto got up and started to walk toward Hijiro.

"Ano? I think you forgot me."

Hijiro looked at Naruto, as if Naruto had a third head. "And what is your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Hijiro looked down at his paperwork shuffling it around trying to find Naruto's name. "Here you are. Uzumaki Naruto you will be assigned to the academy. Here's your vest."

"But I wanted to do missions." Naruto reached out and took his vest from Hijiro's hand sheepishly.

"My decisions are final. Now leave before I strip you of your title." Without waiting for an answer Hijiro looked back down at his paperwork and began to put it away. Naruto turned and stormed out of the room. Sasuke followed him, but before he could stop Naruto, Naruto took off running down the hall.

"Sasuke what happened?" Sasuke turned to see Kakashi standing in the hallway. He could tell by Kakashi's eye that he was worried.

"Naruto was called last and got assigned to the academy."

"Who was the jounin in charge."

"Teisukawa Hijiro." Sasuke watched as Kakashi tightened his hands into fists. Taking a deep breath Kakashi relaxed his hands and opened the door to the room. He was about to walk in but stopped when he almost ran into Hijiro who was on his way out.

"How can I help you, Kakashi?"

"Why did you not call Naruto's name first. You know quite well he gets first pick."

"I don't give traitors or demons first pick." The words were barely out of his mouth before Kakashi slammed him into the wall by the door. Holding Hijiro against the wall by his vest Kakashi just stared into the man's face.

"I dare you to repeat that."

"Kakashi, don't bother. You can't change the ignorant." At Sasuke's words Kakashi released the man and took a step back. "Hijiro, I want to be assigned to the academy along with Naruto."

"What, why?"

"That is none of your concern. Now if you don't I will not hesitate to inform the Hokage on your failure to follow the rules. I'm quite sure you are aware of her feelings toward Naruto. Not to mention Jirayia trained Naruto." Taking the hint Hijiro quickly reassigned Sasuke to the academy and walked away.

"Sasuke are you going to let him get away with that?" Kakashi watched as Sasuke placed his hands in his pockets and started walking towards the exit. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go see the Hokage." Kakashi could do nothing more then smile as Sasuke walked away.

-

Sasuke knocked lightly on Iruka's front door. This was his last hope. After seeing the Hokage, Sasuke had spent the rest of the day hunting down Naruto. But no one had seen or heard from him. When the door opened Sasuke instantly knew Naruto was with Iruka. Iruka looked tired, and slightly mad.

"Come in Sasuke. I take it you're here for Naruto."

"Yes, can I talk to him?"

Iruka motioned to a door, that Sasuke assumed led to his bedroom. Sasuke didn't bother knocking and just opened the door. Naruto was laying on the bed, with his back to the door. The vest he had been given was on the opposite side of the bed. Sasuke looked around for a chair. He noticed a small desk in the corner covered with paper work. The wall above the desk was covered in drawings. All of them showed a small boy or girl standing next to a taller man with a scar on his face. Sasuke smiled at the drawings before grabbing the chair and taking it over to sit in front of Naruto. He could tell Naruto was awake by his breathing.

"I told the Hokage about what happened. I don't think I've ever seen her that mad before. But she said she couldn't change the assignments since all the arrangements have already been made. She also mentioned that to reassign one person would mean that everyone will want to be reassigned."

"I already talked to Iruka – er I mean Dad, and he already explained all that to me." Naruto still hadn't opened his eyes. Sasuke found it very unnerving not being able to see Naruto's eyes.

"Kakashi almost killed Hijiro after you left."

"What stopped him?" Sasuke could hear the amusement in Naruto's voice. He was slowly getting through to him.

"I did. I had Hijiro reassign me to the academy as well."

Sasuke almost fell out of his chair at the speed with which Naruto bolted up from the bed. "Why would you do that?"

"It wasn't fair what he did to you. You won and you should have been called first. Besides this way I'll get to be around more often instead of off on some mission some –" Before Sasuke could finish what he was saying Naruto had rushed forward and engulfed him in a bear hug.

"Thank you, you bastard."

Sasuke hesitantly reached up and hugged Naruto back. "That's what brothers are for."

Neither one of them noticed Iruka shutting the door and walk back to the living room. Kakashi was sitting on the small couch when Iruka walked in.

"So how are they doing?"

"They should be fine. But looks like I'm going to have my hands full with two new instructors." Iruka sat down on the coffee table across from Kakashi.

"I thought you had a genin helper?"

"Oh Ino, no she decided to try again for the chuunin exam. She's going to be on Kiba's team, since he didn't get promoted."

"You'll do fine." Kakashi got up and went to the front door. Now that he knew his students were okay he could go home and get some sleep. As he showed himself out he turned to Iruka one last time. "The kids will love them."

-

Yeah I know I had a lot of crying in this chapter. But when I tried to think of how they would react, crying was what came to mind. Although I think Sasuke came out really OOC. And yes I am fully aware that suddenly it was Naruto's birthday. It's my fic and I decided to make it October.

The idea behind the picture Sasuke gave Naruto came from an image from the Naruto calendar. If you've ever seen the picture of the Future Sannins, then you know what pose I was talking about. Just imagine that pose, without Sakura and with their clothes not the sannin clothes and you know what I'm talking about. I'll try to post a link to it in my profile, if the one below doesn't work.

http :img82.exs.cx/img82/2507/narutogroup37bo. jpg

Thank you ANBU for the name, Teisukawa Hijiro. Yes I know he was a bad, bad man. Since I don't know how one goes about to becoming a jounin, I decided that to become one you have to be promoted to one by the jounin headquarters, which would be anbu. It only made sense to make the Anbu in charge of the jounins. But I have plans for Naruto and Sasuke at the academy.

**FF Reviews**

Nonengel – Yeah both, and I'm glad you liked the fight and the hospital scenes.

Shinobi36 - I'm glad you enjoyed the fight, and the Underworld Spikes are kick ass. I wanna be able to do that. :pouts:

Anime-Boi-Crazy – I figured you liked yaoi just by reading your SN. As for whether or not this story will have some, to be honest I don't know. I'm just kinda going with the flow.

**AFF Reviews**

Yami Jay – No this is not the last time we will be seeing Kabuto. Although I must confess I don't really know how I'm going to bring him back.

Washi – Thanks for the kudos on the fight. And I'm glad you thanked Sakura, for some reason.

Blisblop – Rereading? Wow now I feel real special. :giggles:

**Naruto Nin Reviews**

Ssjojo – Thanks for the compliments. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Yondaime – I'm glad you dig my fic. Hopefully you'll keep digging it.

So yeah send flames, reviews and anything else my way…….well anything expect for exploding penguins.


	13. Secrets Told

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. :cries hysterically:**

**Thanks to my beta. She knows how to read jibberish.**

**Chapter 13 – Secrets Told**

* * *

(Set the same day as Chapter 12)

* * *

"I didn't know you were a medical nin, Sakura-san."

After getting her assignment at the hospital and as Tsunade's apprentice, Sakura had rushed over to the Hokage tower. Tsunade wasted no time in giving Sakura things to do. She told Sakura that she would start working in the hospital right away. So here she was in Ryo's room checking on his wounds. He was the last person on her list of patients to check on. She couldn't wait to get home and find out what assignments Naruto and Sasuke got.

"I just got assigned to the hospital today actually."

"I think you would make, no, actually you make a very good medical nin."

"Thank you Ryo." Sakura couldn't help but feel at ease around Ryo. He was friendly and easy to talk to. As she checked his bandages she wondered if he would be willing to answer some questions that had been plaguing her mind since she met him. "Ryo, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." Ryo smiled at Sakura, instantly breaking the tension forming in the room.

"How did you get to be a Sound nin? You don't seem to fit my view of a Sound nin."

Ryo laughed at her question. He knew that the Leaf had been attacked by the Sound a few years back, and that he wasn't the stereotypical Sound nin. "Well a lot of things have changed. I joined the Sound about six years ago. Bandits ransacked my village. There were few survivors. Many left to join a neighboring village. I left with Hibiki to join the Sound."

Sakura was surprised to find out that Ryo and Hibiki didn't start out as shinobis. They were both very talented and powerful people. Any hidden village would have greatly benefited from having them join. "But why the Sound? Why not come here to the Leaf?"

"We heard the Sound accepted orphans with no questions since the village was just getting started. Everyone there was an orphan, which meant everyone there understood what we felt. We formed our own families. Besides when you're ten years old you go to the closest village possible. Our choices were limited."

"And Orochimaru just let you two join?"

Sakura noticed that at the mention of Orochimaru's name, Ryo sat up straighter. It seemed more like a respectful gesture then an uncomfortable one. "Yes. At the time he was looking for a vessel and he wanted a village to defeat the Leaf. Things were bad for a long time. But me and Hibiki made friends and we felt like we belonged. Kabuto-sensei took us under his wing and made us strong."

Sakura realized then that Ryo was relieving a lot of secrets to her. She wondered if he was even aware at how openly he was talking to her. "Why are you telling me so much?"

Ryo's smile grew even larger. "I've always been like this. Besides I trust Sakura-san."

Sakura couldn't stop the blush that crossed over her face. She wondered if Ryo was flirting with her. Lee would have a fit if he knew how Ryo was talking to her. "You said things changed."

"Oh yes. When Sasuke-sama joined the village Orochimaru wasn't so tyrannical. Things got better. People were happier. Sasuke was happy as well. He was surrounded by people like him. Orphans, strong nins, people who challenged him, pushed him. That's why when he killed Orochimaru and left no one understood." Ryo noticed the confused look that crossed Sakura's face. It was obvious that her view of the Sound and Orochimaru was different from his own. He also knew that he might never be able to change it, but he could try and make her understand. "Sakura-san, you must understand that no matter how tyrannical or evil you think Orochimaru was, he gave us all a home when no one else would. He gave us a chance to be strong, to be someone. Many of us would have died on the street from starvation if it weren't for him. He was our savior."

Sakura understood what Ryo was saying, even though she didn't like it. The thought of seeing Orochimaru as anything but an evil nin was difficult. But Ryo had benefited from his time in the Sound. Maybe, just maybe the Sound would have been a wonderful village if Orochimaru had not used it for his own selfish needs. "So, how are things now?"

"Oh they are so much better. Kabuto-sensei is a much better Otokage. He doesn't use the village for his selfish needs. He wants us to prosper, that's why he came to the tournament. He wants to peace just like you do. Although he does have his work cut out for him."

"You could say that again." Sakura wondered if Kabuto truly wanted peace. Of course she wasn't going to verbalize her doubts of him to his student. She wondered if Ryo's vision of Kabuto was skewed because he was his sensei, or if what he was saying was the actual truth of the matter.

"Sakura-san, let me ask you a question. Why did you ask me about the Sound? You don't seem like the kind of person interested in politics. Could it be that you wanted to learn more about Sasuke-sama?"

Sakura was stunned at how easy it was for Ryo to read her. This was the second time he had answered a question she had before she even asked it. She was too stunned and embarrassed to say anything, so she just sat there in silence.

Taking her silence as a yes, Ryo continued. "He's a private man, rather cold at times. But you probably already knew that. But like I said before, he was happy. But when I saw how he interacted with you and Naruto-kun I finally understood."

"Understood what?"

"Why he left. He was happy with us, but he was and still is happier with you, You know the real Sasuke. He would smile around us, but with you guys he shows true emotions. You've seen him at his best and worst. We saw him as our savior. As some one who tamed the beast." Ryo noticed that Sakura's expression was turning grim. "Please don't get mad at him for not telling you about his time with us. He's ashamed of it and I can understand why."

Sakura couldn't believe what Ryo was telling her. Sasuke was happy in the Sound? How could he have been happy? She was about to ask Ryo to elaborate when a nurse walked in and told Sakura her shift was over. Sakura thanked Ryo for the talk and walked out. When she arrived at home, she noticed that she was alone. The boys were still out, probably still working on their new assignments. She walked over to the couch and sat down. She wanted to talk to Sasuke, and she wanted to do it tonight.

* * *

The house was completely dark when Naruto and Sasuke arrived. Sakura had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice what time it was.

"Sakura-chan, are you home?" Naruto flicked on the light. He saw her sitting on the couch, and instantly got worried. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

Without looking up from the floor Sakura began to talk. "I went to the hospital today and talked to Ryo. We had a very interesting conversation."

She heard Naruto start walking toward her. "About what?"

This time she did look up, but she focused her attention on Sasuke, who was still standing by the door. "We talked about Sasuke's time in the Sound."

Naruto instantly stopped walking. Sakura watched as Sasuke reached over to grab the doorknob. He obviously didn't want to have this conversation, but Sakura was having none of that. She got up and ran toward the door. "Don't you dare leave!"

As she reached him she grabbed Sasuke's arm to pull him away from the door. Sasuke acted on instinct and roughly pulled his arm free from her grasp. Sakura moved to stand between him and the door. He was not getting away. "Why didn't you tell us? I had all these ideas that maybe Orochimaru made you do horrible things or that he did horrible things to you and that's why you didn't want to tell us. But never in my wildest dreams did I think that you actually -"

She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence because Sasuke slammed his fists against the wall behind her, effectively pinning her between the wall and himself. She heard Naruto hiss a warning.

"Why couldn't you tell us? How are we supposed to understand you when you won't let us in?" Sakura could feel the beginning of tears forming in her eyes. This was becoming a lot more difficult then she anticipated.

"You want to hear it? Do you really want to know the truth?" Sasuke's voice was low and full of emotion. Sakura was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so she just nodded.

"I didn't want to leave the Sound. Is that what you wanted to hear?" The volume of Sasuke's voice scared Sakura. She felt the tears run down her face as she looked at him. "I enjoyed my time there. Orochimaru treated me well. I was happy there. I had a chance to start over, just like I wanted to. I forgot about my desire to kill him. I didn't want to leave!"

By this point Sakura was openly crying. It was one thing to hear Ryo say it, but to hear it from Sasuke was more hurtful then she expected.

"Do you know why I killed him?" Sasuke couldn't stop himself from talking. He felt like the flood gates had been opened, and he couldn't close them. So he just kept talking. "He wanted to take over my body. I didn't want him too. Kabuto mentioned that the chuunin exams were coming up and that they were going to be held here. He said that maybe you and Naruto would be participating. That was the first time in a long time I had heard anything about either of you. I remembered why I had gone to the Sound and so I killed him and left."

"Were you not happy here with us? Did we not challenge you?" Sakura continued to cry. She couldn't quite understand how Sasuke could be happy in the Sound. She thought maybe it was something she had done wrong, or maybe something Naruto had done.

"It was different there. They understood what it was like to be alone."

Sakura had to restrain herself from slapping Sasuke. "How dare you! I might not know what it's like not to have family, but what about Naruto? He understands, maybe even better then anyone else."

Sasuke knew revealing the truth was going to be hurtful, that was why he hadn't wanted to say anything. But it was too late now. He turned to see what kind of damage he had done to Naruto. Naruto was looking down at the floor. His hair was hiding his eyes from view. His fists were clenched. Sasuke knew he had hurt Naruto.

"How could you forget the Leaf? How could you have forgotten about me?" Sasuke didn't answer Naruto. Truthfully he didn't really know how to answer the question. He knew Naruto deserved an answer, he just couldn't give him one. It suddenly occurred to Sasuke that he might have just ruined the relationship he had just formed with Naruto. It was only yesterday that Naruto had called him brother. Fear washed over Sasuke.

Sensing the sudden change in Sasuke, Naruto looked up. What Naruto saw scared him. Sasuke was afraid. It took Naruto only a moment to realize why Sasuke was afraid. "All those things I said to you yesterday and today at my Dad's was true and I still believe them. But I am hurt that you forgot me because I didn't forget about you. Not for one moment in those three years did I forget you."

Sasuke couldn't look at Naruto anymore, but he also couldn't look at Sakura. So instead he took a step back from Sakura and looked at the floor.

"Sasuke, were you ashamed to tell us?" Naruto asked in a quietly.

Sasuke took a moment to figure out how to verbalize why he hadn't told them. In a soft tone he answered. "Part of me wanted to tell you when we first meet in the valley so you'd kill me and make the pain go away. I felt guilty and it hurt so much more than when I left three years prior. But another part of me wanted to forget it all and come back home."

Sasuke heard Sakura slide down the door so she could sit on the floor where she continued to cry. He was about to turn to her when he heard Naruto walking up to him. He turned to Naruto just in time to see Naruto raise his fist and punch him.

"I could never kill you! Don't you get it! I don't have very many truly precious people, and you're one of them, no matter how much of a bastard you are. You should have told us. We would have understood, we would have tried to help you. But instead you lied by omission. Sakura had to hear it from someone else, a stranger at that."

Naruto moved past Sasuke toward Sakura. "That's what hurts more than you forgetting about us, the fact that you didn't trust us." Sasuke watched as Naruto bent down and scooped up Sakura. He heard Naruto whisper soothing words to her as he walked away from the door and toward her room.

When Naruto returned from putting Sakura in bed, Sasuke was still standing in the same place. Taking a deep breath, Naruto walked over to him. "You should go to bed."

"Even when I try not to cause any more pain, somehow I always manage to."

Naruto could hear the hurt and the anguish in Sasuke's voice. The conversation had spared no one any pain. "Listen, if our roles were reversed I would have been ashamed too. But what's done is done."

With that Naruto walked over to the kitchen. He knew that if he tried to go to bed now, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep. So instead he looked around the refrigerator for something to eat. He heard Sasuke enter the kitchen a moment later and sit down at the table. Naruto found some juice and poured himself and Sasuke a glass. After handing Sasuke his drink, Naruto walked back leaned against the counter. He wasn't sure how long they stood in silence before Sasuke finally spoke.

"Why do you keep forgiving me?"

"Because I can't afford to lose my best friend, or my brother." Sasuke looked up from the table, shocked at what Naruto had said. "Hinata said that friends are people that accept you for the good and the bad."

Another silence fell between them, before Sasuke once again broke it. "What's my good?"

"You make me want to be stronger. I feel like I can tell you things that I can't tell Sakura, and sometimes I don't even have to verbalize it. It's kinda like we're inside each others heads."

Sasuke stayed quiet for a moment before he focused his attention on the glass of juice in his hands. "Do you want to hear the good I see in you?"

"Ok." Naruto's response was hesitant.

"Your unbreakable determination. It pushes everyone to do their best. Pushes me to be better. Also your ability to smile no matter what." This time Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, who just as he expected was smiling. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk.

"Tell me something I don't already know." Naruto placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest.

Not one to miss an opportunity Sasuke said, "You're also loud, rude, annoying, dense, perverted, short tempered-"

"Okay I get it. Sasuke-bastard." Naruto returned to his original position of leaning against the counter. Sasuke finished his juice and got up. He washed the empty glass. Sasuke stopped in the middle of drying his hands and just stood against the counter.

"Naruto, tell Sakura I'm sorry." Sasuke waited for some kind of response but got nothing. Sasuke turned in time to see Naruto push himself away from the counter and start walking out of the kitchen.

"You tell her."

* * *

_The next morning_

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke had to get up early the next day in order to go to the academy and receive their proper training and instructions from Iruka. As they both walked up to the academy, Iruka was waiting for them outside. He was holding a mug, with what was probably coffee. Naruto idly wondered how early Iruka must have gotten up.

"Ah, you're here. Follow me and I'll show you the teacher's lounge and give you your instructions. I'll show you you're office afterward."

As they entered the academy, both Naruto and Sasuke felt strange walking through the halls. It was like taking a trip back in time, except this time it was different. They were different. They stooped walking when Iruka motioned to a door with a sign that said "Faculty Only". Naruto walked in first followed by Sasuke and then Iruka. The room was about the size of a regular classroom, except without the chalkboard or rows of seats. Instead there were two couches, one underneath the window and the other in the back of the room. That couch was probably used for taking naps. There was also a table with mismatched chairs that looked strangely comfortable and a small kitchenette.

"This will be your refuge when you want to escape the students. Now take a seat." Both Naruto and Sasuke walked over to the couch under the window and sat down. Iruka grabbed one of the chairs and dragged it over to the boys. "Usually new chuunin instructors go through a long training session before receiving a class, but since you two are so young I've decided not to give you an actual class of students. Instead you will be in charge of the special instructions. Sasuke, I have decided to put you in charge of the kunai and shuriken training. Throughout the day students will come to your section in the academy yard to be trained. Please be patient with them."

Sasuke nodded his head. He couldn't help but find it somewhat ironic that he was going to be helping children with their weapons, when his own brother didn't help him. Cursing himself for thinking of Itachi, he quickly returned his attention to Iruka, who was now talking to Naruto.

"Naruto, I've decided to put you in charge of the chakra control training."

"What! You know I suck at that!" Naruto would have jumped up out of his seat had Sasuke not grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Iruka on the other hand didn't even flinch. He obviously was used to this kind of behavior.

"You used to suck at it. You have great control Naruto. But since you did struggle in the past I figured you could help someone who is currently struggling. You know how to overcome it. Besides you have an immense amount of charka, making you the only person who can see students through out the day and not pass out."

Naruto could only stare at Iruka. He knew Iruka had a point. Someone like Sasuke wouldn't be able to teach chakra control because he didn't understand what it was like to struggle with it. Naruto on the other hand knew all the little tricks on how to master control. He smiled when he realized how much thought Iruka must have put into their assignments.

"Now both of you will have a small office. You can either go there or come here on your down time. I suggest holding office hours. Many students are too embarrassed to raise an issue or ask a question in front of other students. Also if you ever have a question or a problem with anything let me know."

There was a small pause before Naruto raised his hand. "I have a question. Are all the instructors chuunins and what class will you be in?"

Iruka waved his hand at Naruto, who promptly lowered his hand. "Yes, all instructors are chuunins, and I won't have a class. Since you two have graduated I've been put in charge of the whole academy."

"I thought only jounins could run the academy?" The last time Sasuke had checked Iruka was a chuunin. But then again that was a little more than three years ago. The rules might have changed.

"Oh, well I got promoted as a special jounin two years ago." Iruka looked over at a clock that was hanging above the sink in the kitchenette. He stood up quickly and began putting his chair back. "The new students should be here shortly for their enrollment. All the instructors are to be introduced to all the parents and students."

"Uh, Dad, you don't think any of the parents will be mad at having us at instructors?"

Iruka walked over to Naruto and put his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "If they have a problem with it, they can take it up with me."

Both boys couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for anyone who did have a problem with them.

* * *

The school yard was full of family and students. The instructors were all standing on a small stage that had been set up near the entrance of the academy. Iruka was standing in the middle of the stage looking over everyone. Naruto couldn't help but feel proud at how Iruka looked.

"There are a lot of kids here without family," Sasuke said.

Naruto turned his attention away from Iruka to the school yard. Sasuke was right, there were a lot of kids present without a family member. Before he could comment on it an instructor standing behind them spoke up.

"They're orphans. A result of when the Sand and Sound attacked."

"Then how is it they can join the academy? You need to have family present to join." Sasuke remembered how his father had come with him to the enrollment. He suddenly wondered how it was Naruto was allowed to join the academy. He turned toward Naruto just in time to see him answer his question.

"Special Hokage permission."

No one said anything after that. All the instructors turned their attention to Iruka when he started talking and the people in the schoolyard, who had begun to position themselves. Iruka welcomed them all and introduced the instructors. Naruto and Sasuke were surprised when no one reacted negatively to their presence. Once Iruka was done with the introductions he asked everyone to turn in their paperwork. As the parents moved toward the stage the instructors got off the stage and began to mingle. Naruto and Sasuke were standing off to the side. No one was approaching them, but they didn't really mind.

"Naruto, I'll be right back." Naruto watched as Sasuke walked toward the general vicinity of the bathrooms. As he stood there alone he casually looked over the crowd. He stopped when he noticed Hinata approaching him.

"Hinata?"

"Hi Naruto-kun."

"What are you doing here?"

Hinata turned and pointed to a small Hyuuga boy standing under a tree. "My cousin is starting here tomorrow. I was the only one available to come."

"Oh, that's nice of you Hinata." Hinata blushed slightly at the comment.

"Are you excited about being an instructor?"

"Actually, yeah I am. Although it's gonna be kinda weird being called sensei." Hinata couldn't help but laugh at the face Naruto made. At the sound of her laughter Naruto laughed as well.

Once she stopped laughing Hinata looked down at her shoes, it was a nervous habit she had, but was not aware of. "I was wondering if you would be interested in having lunch with me today?"

Naruto was totally oblivious to Hinata's nervous behavior. "Sure. I should be done around one."

This time Naruto did notice Hinata's enthusiasm when she suddenly looked up. "Okay. I'll come get you. I better take my cousin home. I'll see you around one then." Naruto waved at her as she walked away.

"I hope you have a good lunch with her."

Naruto turned at the sound of Sasuke's voice. "Wanna come?"

"No. I'll just make it awkward."

"I don't understand. I mean she hasn't been giving you the cold shoulder so why would it be awkward?" Naruto noticed that Sasuke seemed suddenly very irritated and annoyed.

"Can you really be that dense? She likes you."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and had on his face of someone in deep thought. After a moment of silence he dropped his arms to the side and looked at Sasuke. "What makes you think that?"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and sigh heavily before answering the question. "She's liked you since the academy. Everyone knows."

"Oh." Naruto began to think back to his days at the academy. He understood now why she was always weird around him, or why she would blush and stutter. He couldn't help but feel a little mad at himself and a little sorry for her.

* * *

Once all the parents were gone the instructors gathered in one of the classrooms. They spent the rest of the day with Iruka going over the schedule and goals for the year. They also discussed any issues that might come up regarding some of the students.

When Naruto was done he walked over to his office. His office only had room for his desk, a filing cabinet and a chair for visitors to sit in. His name was also on the door. When he opened the door to walk in he saw Hinata sitting in the visitor chair. She turned and quickly stood up at his presence.

"Oh, one of the other instructors told me this was your office. I hope you don't mind?"

"No, it's okay. Uh, shall we go?"

* * *

The silence was heavy as Hinata and Naruto ate their ramen. Naruto found himself not quite sure how to act around her anymore.

"Naruto-kun is everything okay? You seem really quiet."

"Oh, I'm fine."

Silence feel between them once again. Naruto knew he wasn't helping. She was suspicious of him, and he knew it.

"Naruto, you know if something is bothering you, you can tell me."

"I know, thank you." He cursed himself for being so stupid. Now she really knew something was wrong. He knew he had to do something, and fast. "Hinata?"

"Yes." She stopped eating and turned all her attention to him. This only made him nervous, but it was too late to back out now.

"What do you think of me?"

She answered without hesitation. "Oh well I think you're a great person. You make me want to be a better person."

That wasn't exactly the answer he was looking for. "Sasuke said the same thing. But I don't understand how I do that."

"It's your determination. You told Neji once that you're not good at giving up. I think that's what it is. You inspire."

"Thank you Hinata." Hinata would have blushed, had she not noticed how insecure Naruto seemed at that moment. He really didn't know how wonderful of person he was. He was normal. He doubted himself at times, was unsure, breakable even. Naruto was real.

"Naruto, don't ever change."

Naruto looked at Hinata for a moment, surprised at her random comment, then he smiled. He watched as a blush crossed her face. She looked down trying to hide it. "Hinata, are you blushing?"

"I……eh…."

"Sorry I didn't notice sooner." Hinata didn't quite understand what Naruto was saying. Was he sorry he didn't notice her blush sooner? No, that didn't make sense. She looked up at him to ask him what exactly he meant when he continued talking. "Hinata, want to have dinner with me tomorrow?"

Now Hinata was really surprised. Naruto had just asked her out. She felt her face getting hotter. She wondered for a moment if this was all a dream, a wonderful dream. She was soon brought back to reality.

"So will you come to dinner with me?"

"Of course I will." She quickly covered her mouth with her hands when she realized how loud and eager she sounded. Naruto laughed at her embarrassment. He realized she could be rather cute at times.

"Good. I'll come pick you up tomorrow around six."

* * *

As Naruto approached the front door to the house he noticed Lee sitting on the floor by the door. He was sitting Indian style with is back to the wall; he had his face turned up toward the sky.

"Lee, is everything okay?"

Without turning to look at Naruto, Lee sighed heavily before answering. "Sakura is inside talking to Sasuke. She asked me to wait outside. That was about forty minutes ago."

Naruto walked up the door and hesitated for a moment. He decided it was probably better if he didn't go inside. This was something that Sasuke and Sakura had to work out together. He moved away from the door and joined Lee on the floor.

"Were you here when he came home?"

"Yes. We were having lunch when he walked in. They just stared at each other then she asked me to wait outside."

Naruto could tell Lee was a bit hurt by what Sakura did. "Lee, don't worry about it. We had a huge argument last night. They need to sort some things out, that's all."

Lee turned his head to look at Naruto. "Why don't you go in there then?"

"I already worked things out with him last night. She's mad at him not me."

"Naruto, how can you trust him so much?"

It was now Naruto's turn to look at the sky. He knew why Shikamaru looked at the clouds. Sometimes only the clouds could give him the answers he wanted. Except at this moment, they weren't helping. "I don't know."

They heard footsteps approaching the door and turned to see Sakura open the door and stick her head out. "Lee-kun you can come in. Oh, welcome home Naruto."

Naruto got up and followed Lee into the house. Sakura immediately grabbed Lee by the hand and lead him toward her room. She was either going to tell him everything or cuddle. Probably both. Naruto wondered where Sasuke was, before he spotted him sitting in the living room. He was lying down on the couch, one of his arms thrown over his eyes. Naruto walked over and pushed his legs out of the way so he could sit on the couch as well.

"So how did it go?"

Sasuke remained quiet, and Naruto waited. He could tell that Sasuke was exhausted by whatever he and Sakura had talked about. "She's still mad at me."

"That was to be expected. Are you two okay now?"

"I apologized, she forgave me. Things are going to be a bit strained for a while."

"I figured as much. At least she didn't punch you. That would have destroyed the house." Naruto noticed Sasuke stiffen at the comment. Without thinking he grabbed the arm that was thrown over Sasuke's face and pulled it off. Sasuke had a bruise on his left cheek bone, right under his eye. "Did she do that?"

"Yes. She felt bad about it when we were done talking, but I told her not to heal it."

"Why?" Sasuke didn't say anything. He just got up and walked to his room leaving Naruto alone in the living room.

* * *

'There's only 19 of them, I wonder where the last one is?' Naruto was hiding in a tree watching his first class of the day. He went over the lesson plans the night before and he knew all his classes were going to have twenty students. He had a hard time focusing last night though. His thoughts kept going to Sasuke and Sakura. 'Might as well get started.'

As Naruto approached the class they all sat down on the floor. They all looked so small and eager. He wondered if this is what he looked like when he was here. Taking his place in front of them he began to introduce himself. "Well my name is –"

"Sorry sensei. I was on my way here and –" The missing student had finally shown up. He was out of breath and rather sweaty. Taking pity on him Naruto just smiled at him.

"Don't worry about it. You made it just in time. Anyway, my name is Uzumaki Naruto and I'll be teaching you chakra control. My goal is by the end of the year each and every one of you will be able to make at least three clones and if you're really good be able to combine henge and bunshin no jutsu."

The entire class began to groan.

"Well before we start, I need to know how well everyone can control their chakra. So…" Naruto walked around and handed everyone a small green leaf. "…place the leaf on your forehead and try moving it with your chakra."

One of the students looked at Naruto with a mix of confusion and anger. "How the heck are we supposed to do that? It sounds boring and impossible."

Without saying a word Naruto walked up to the student and took his leaf. He placed it on his head and with his chakra began moving it from his forehead to his chest and down to the legs. The entire time the students just looked at him. "Once you are able to control your chakra then you can do things like this." By this point the leaf was now in the palm of his right hand, but his Rasengan quickly destroyed it.

"Chakra control is essential to all jutsu's. If you can't control it you will be unable to do jutsu's."

For the next fifty minutes the students desperately tried to move their leaves. A few thought they were doing it only to realize it was the wind moving the leaf. Naruto groaned slightly, this was not going as he had planned. "Okay class, that's enough for today. Don't worry you couldn't move the leaf. We'll try again tomorrow. For the next ten minutes I want everyone to sit down and meditate with me." With that Naruto sat down and all the students followed his example.

At the end of the day, only a handful of students were able to move the leaves on their heads. Naruto was discouraged, though it was only the first day. He quickly cleaned up his office and raced home. He still had to shower and change before leaving to pick up Hinata.

When he walked in the house no one was home yet. Dropping off his stuff on his bed, he grabbed a towel and rushed to the bathroom. Within half an hour he was out. As he walked back to his room he heard Sakura in the kitchen. When he walked in his room he saw Sasuke sitting on his bed.

"Do you mind?"

"I just thought I should warn you."

"About?"

"I told Sakura not to make you dinner." Sasuke watched as a look of terror crossed his face. "When she asked why I told her you were taking Hinata out. Sorry."

Before Naruto got the chance to yell at Sasuke, Sakura walked in. She started fussing about Naruto and what he was going to wear. Sasuke left when he noticed Sakura was still ignoring him. He knew she would eventually stop being mad at him, but it still stung a bit.

Ten minutes later Sakura walked in the kitchen only to see Sasuke cooking dinner.

"What are you doing?"

"You were busy, and I felt useless."

Sakura didn't say another word. Instead she turned and went back to Naruto's room. She wanted to make sure he looked nice for Hinata. If she couldn't get him to wear something different, she wanted to at least brush his hair.

* * *

Naruto had never been so nervous in his entire life. As soon as he arrived at the Hyuuga residence he was ushered into a room and was told to sit. Hinata's father apparently wanted to talk to him; the head of the Hyuuga family wanted to talk to _him_. He silently thanked Sakura for helping him dress. He was dressed in his regular dark orange pants and a plain long sleeved black shirt. He still wore his forehead protector; that would probably never change. But Sakura had made him look a lot more presentable.

He straightened his posture when the door slid open and a tall man dressed in black walked in and sat down in front of him. Naruto couldn't breath. He wasn't sure if it was because of the man's eyes or just his sole presence, but Naruto suddenly felt very little and very weak. Slowly Naruto bowed, placing his forehead on the floor. "Hyuuga-sama."

"Uzumaki-san."

When Naruto sat back he looked at the man and realized he was at a disadvantage. He didn't know his name. The man knew more about Naruto then Naruto knew about him. "Please call me Naruto. Uzuamaki-san makes me feel old."

Naruto hadn't meant for it to be a joke, but that didn't stop the man before him from laughing slightly. "I see now why she likes you. I was quite impressed with your abilities when you faced Hinata, as well as Neji a few years ago."

"Thank you Hyuuga-sama."

"Please call me Hiashi. Hyuuga-sama makes me feel old."

This time they both shared a laugh. Naruto realized that Hinata's dad wasn't as scary as he imagined. But that didn't mean he wanted to spend the day in his presence. "Hiashi-san, are you worried about how I will treat Hinata?"

Hiashi was quiet for a moment before answering. "To be honest, at first I was. I did not approve of her feelings for you, simply because of who you were. But after seeing how you interact with everyone I soon cursed my own ignorance. I will trust you with her."

Naruto once again bowed. "Thank you Hiashi-san."

"Now go. She's waiting for you at the gate." Naruto was about to ask Hiashi how he knew when he saw that he had activated his Byakugan. Saying another thank you, Naruto walked out of the room and toward Hinata.

* * *

The dinner was nice. Naruto took Hinata to a restaurant that didn't serve ramen. He thought it would be rude to eat the same thing they had for lunch the day before. Hinata had fun explaining to him what certain things were on the menu, and when their meals arrived she had to explain to him how to eat them properly. He was a good sport all through dinner.

After dinner they walked around the marketplace and came across a small carnival stand. Naruto would have won Hinata something had he not spent most of his time trying to show off. In the end it was Hinata who won Naruto a prize; a small yellow frog. After that, Naruto decided it was time to take her home.

"I had a wonderful time Naruto-kun."

"I did too." They both paused for a moment in front of the gates to the Hyuuga property. Naruto nervously pulled on the frog in his hands before holding it out. "Here take this with you."

"No. I want you to keep it. Besides it suits you better then me." She slowly pushed the frog into Naruto's chest. They stayed in that position for a while, with her hands to his chest. "Naruto, I'm scared."

"I am too. But that doesn't mean I don't want to try."

A smile, as well as a blush, spread on Hinata's face. Naruto pulled his hands away from his chest and circled them around Hinata's shoulders, embracing her in a hug. "Thank you Hinata."

"For what?"

"Just thank you." Without asking anymore questions Hinata buried her face in his shoulder and returned the hug. After what seemed like an hour he released his hold on her and stepped back. Naruto brushed a hair behind her ear. "Shall I expect you for lunch tomorrow?"

Hinata smiled and nodded before walking past the gates and toward her room. She was still scared of the prospect of dating someone. All the uncertainties that came with a relationship were new to both of them. Not to mention there was always the possibility that their relationship might not work and she could lose his friendship. As she walked in her room, she knew she had made the right decision.

* * *

"Kabuto-sensei, when are we going to return to the Leaf to get Ryo?"

Kabuto turned from his window to see Hibiki down on one knee with his head down. He slowly approached Hibiki, stopping only when he was right in front of him.

"Hibiki-kun, you know I don't like it when you act so submissive. Please stand." He watched as Hibiki slowly rose from his kneeled position. "I plan on leaving tomorrow actually. I miss having Ryo around."

"May I come with you?"

Kabuto smiled and placed his hand on Hibiki's shoulder. "You miss him as well I take it." Kabuto knew better then to wait for Hibiki to answer his question. When it came to his emotions Hibiki was harder to read then a brick wall. Instead Kabuto turned and walked back to his window. As he watched over the Sound, he wondered if Orochimaru would be proud at the progress made by the village. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Kabuto instantly knew the answer. Orochimaru wouldn't care. Orochimaru was never interested in making the village strong and prosperous. He used it to find vessels, or to reach his sadistic goals. Although Kabuto must admit he enjoyed being by Orochimaru's side, but now he was in charge of the Sound, and he wanted the Sound to be strong. He wanted villages like the Sand and Leaf to look at his village as an equal, a force to be reckoned with. He would pull no punches to make the Sound strong.

Hibiki waited a while before turning to walk out. It was obvious Kabuto was caught up in his thoughts. As he shut the door behind him he thought he heard Kabuto speak. But instead of walking back in the room, Hibiki shut the door and left.

A smile crossed Kabuto's face. He heard Hibiki start to leave but his thoughts were else where. "I wonder if I'll see Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun again."

* * *

I really don't have much to say except sometimes the answers aren't as easy or pretty as we expect them to be. The world isn't a perfect place, and no one is perfect either. Okay I'm done, enjoy the reviews.

FF Reviews

Kit – Believe me when I say, many people want him to die a long and horrible death. I will continue as well

Nonengel – Yes I do have a plan for the academy idea. Might not be totally obvious at the moment, but trust me there is one.

Paul Phoenix – Thanks for the comment on my characterization of Sasuke for the last chapter. Conflicts with the Sound? What Naruto fanfic doesn't have one?

Shinobi36 – Dobe, dobe, dobe, dobe, dobe, dobe, dobe, dobe, dobe. Have you laughed enough yet?

AFF Reviews 

LadyFrisselle – Thank you.

Chelsey – Thanks, and yes happy endings are nice. They make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Yami Jay – Please don't be pissed anymore. I would think working under Iruka would be difficult. He seems like the kind of man who would expect a lot from his workers.

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Please leave comments, reviews, flames, spare change, etc…..


	14. The Great Leap Foward

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, hell I don't even own this

:holds up chair:

No really, who the hell does this belong to?

**Thanks to my beta. She knows how to read jibberish.**

**Spoiler warning from Chapter 247 and beyond. Unlike before you might actually catch this spoiler**

* * *

Chapter 14: The Great Leap Forward

Of all the people Tsunade had expected to come see her, Kabuto was not only on the bottom of the list but also the least desired. The few times she had talked with the man were enough. She didn't like him, as a matter of fact she could go as far as to say she hated him. Hate is a strong word, but then again she's a strong woman. She watched as he asked the white haired shinobi that came with him to wait outside. Kabuto turned, walked over and sat down in the chair across from her desk. She didn't remember asking him to sit down, much less enter her office.

No doubt about it, she hated him.

But of course she wasn't going to tell him that. He probably knew, but that was besides the point. She had to put Konoha's interest before hers. That's what being in charge of a village meant, you come last. For the rest of her life Tsunade would come last. Strangely enough that idea didn't bother her. She wondered if Kabuto understood that. Did he put himself last?

"What can I do for you Kabuto?"

"I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I came to pick up Ryo and at the same time talk to you."

Tsunade had to stop and think for a minute. Ryo….Ryo? Oh, the red head. He was still in the hospital. He had used up all his chakra when he fought the other Sound nin and then Sasuke. Poor kid, he was too sweet to belong to the Sound. But no matter, the faster he went home the faster she could get the Sound out of her hair.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Tsunade noticed that Kabuto leaned back into the chair. He was getting comfortable. That could only mean one thing, he was going to be here a while.

"I want to rebuild the Sound peacefully. As you know trying to run a village and rebuild it is difficult. For me that difficulty is multiplied. No one trusts the Sound, and I don't blame them. Orochimaru made sure of that. That mistrust is one of the biggest roadblocks the Sound has to overcome, and I think I have come up with a solution. A peace treaty."

"You want a peace treaty between the Leaf and the Sound?"

"Yes. You know my village is not prepared for an attack. And the Leaf has just barely recovered. I am also quite aware that you probably don't want a treaty between the two of us. That would cause trouble with the Sand. I know how politics work."

"What you say is true. A treaty between us would put a strain on my relationship with the Sand, and that is something I will not tolerate."

"I haven't gone to the Sand yet, but I hear Gaara is the Kazekage."

"Yes he is. He doesn't tolerate traitors. He also cares very much for our ninjas." Tsunade watched as a smile crossed Kabuto's face.

"Is that a warning?" Tsunade could only smile back. She said nothing though. She didn't have to, he got the hint. "Well since a treaty is impossible, I have another suggestion."

"Oh really."

"Yes, a written agreement, not exactly a treaty. We stay out of each other's business. The Sound will stay out of the Fire country, and will not do any business with the Leaf. We will pretend you don't exist. In return you do the same. Don't send nins to the sound or get involved with our business; political or otherwise."

"And if the agreement is broken?"

"If either of us breaks the agreement, we have the right to invade if we see fit."

Tsunade got up and walked over to the window. The agreement Kabuto suggested had its good points and its bad. If she agreed to it the Sound would be crippled economically. The Leaf was one of the largest consumers of goods. Granted the Sound had little to offer, but since their betrayal of the Sand, the other large consumer, their market options had been greatly limited. The Leaf wouldn't be hurt economically though. They traded very little with the Sound. Losing the Sound wouldn't even cause a ripple.

On the other hand, if she agreed she wouldn't be able to monitor the Sound. She wouldn't know if they were developing an army, or plotting to invade. Not knowing is worse than having to deal with strained relationship. But then again he said nothing about other villages. She could always use her connections in other places to keep tabs on the Sound. She had to wonder though, why would Kabuto suggest a plan that would harm the Sound? No he had to have an ulterior motive.

"Let me get this straight. We don't stick our noses in your land and you don't stick yours in ours?"

"That is correct. But please remember the gates to the Sound are always open to anyone who wishes to join."

That was it. That was his ulterior motive. If anyone abandoned the Leaf she wouldn't be able to send Hunter Nin's after them. That didn't matter though. The last nin to leave the village was Sasuke, and he came back. Leaf nin's rarely become missing nins.

"I'll agree on one condition. The agreement should only last two years. That should give you enough time to do your rebuilding." Tsunade watched as a frown crossed Kabuto's face. "You know quite well that the Sound cannot survive without doing business with the Leaf."

"Very well."

She watched as he reluctantly pulled out two scrolls from his robes. Bastard had already written it all up. He opened the scrolls on her desk and began writing the new condition on the bottom of each scroll. He handed her both scrolls and she looked them over. The language was simple, no hidden loops anywhere, no room for confusion. She set them down and signed them. He signed them as well and rolled them up. He gave her one scroll and he kept the other.

"This agreement will go into effect as soon as you leave here with Ryo."

"Thank you for your time."

Tsunade extended her hand but Kabuto walked right past her and out the door. He didn't even have the decency to shake her hand. No doubt about it, she hated him.

* * *

"You are looking so much better."

Sakura carefully removed the bandages from Ryo's back and shoulders. The wounds had healed nicely. Unfortunately there would be scars. From what Sakura had seen Ryo had somehow managed to remain unmarked.

"Really?" She could hear the excitement in his voice.

"Good, because we leave today." Both Sakura and Ryo looked toward the door at the sound of the new voice. Ryo went from excited to down right giddy at the sight of Hibiki.

"Biki-kun!"

"I'll wait here until Kabuto-sensei finishes up and gets us."

Sakura watched as Hibiki entered the room and grabbed a chair. He sat down on the other side of the bed. He wore the same black jumpsuit from the tournament, and still carried the two katanas on his back. Looking at his face she felt a sudden urge to ask him why he had a metal plate covering his left eye. She quickly suppressed that urge when she noticed she was staring. She continued her examination of Ryo. The whole time she could feel Hibiki's eye on her. She felt awkward with Hibiki in the room. She wondered if she got Ryo or Hibiki talking the feeling would go away.

"Did you and Kabuto come alone?"

"That is none of your concern."

"Biki-kun, be nice to Sakura-san." Sakura was forced to stop her examination when Ryo turned to face her. "Don't mind him, he's like that to everyone. Oh and Kabuto usually travels with me, Hibiki or Roiyaru. But now that Roiyaru lost his arm that might not happen."

"Ryo, don't talk to her so openly." Sakura could hear the anger in his voice. This man was nothing like Ryo.

"Oh don't worry so much. Really Biki-kun you should learn to lighten up a bit. She isn't going to hurt me, or you."

Hibiki only sighed heavily and sat back in his chair. Sakura continued her examination of Ryo. As she passed her hand over his shoulder, Ryo hissed when she accidentally brushed a bruise that was taking a while to heal. She apologized, but noticed that Hibiki was now standing next to the bed instead of sitting. It was obvious Hibiki was very protective of Ryo, so Sakura made sure not to cause Ryo any more pain than needed. She was almost done when Lee walked in.

"Sakura, are you almost done?"

Stopping in her examination, Sakura walked over to Lee. "Yeah I am actually. Why do you ask?"

"Oh well Neji just got back from a mission. He was hurt, nothing major though. So me, Naruto, Hinata and Sasuke decided to come get you and Neji and have lunch."

"That sounds great." With that Sakura turned her attention back at Ryo. That's when she noticed Ryo was looking rather confused. "Oh, I'm sorry. Ryo, this is Rock Lee. And that's Hibiki."

At the introduction Lee approached Ryo and shook his hand. "Pleasure to meet you. I must say I was very impressed with your taijutsu."

"Lee is one of the taijutsu experts in the village." Sakura announced proudly.

"Really, that's great. Who's the other expert?"

Quickly striking the good guy pose, Lee loudly said, "My sensei, Maito Gai!"

Ryo and Hibiki could only stare at Lee in complete and total shock. There was no doubt that Lee was the strangest person either of them had ever met. Ryo turned to look at Sakura who was unaffected by Lee's actions. Obviously she was used to it.

"Okay, that's it. Ryo you are free to go. Let me just finish the paperwork and you can go checkout." Sakura moved to the end of the bed and started filling out the paperwork she held on her clipboard. Hibiki got up from his seat and walked over to the small closet in the room.

Sakura was too involved with the paperwork to notice the look Ryo was giving her. It was the same look Lee used to give her before they started dating. It was the same look Naruto used to give her when he was younger. It was a look of longing. Lee didn't know why Ryo was looking at her that way, and he really didn't care how long he might have been looking at her with those eyes. He only knew that he didn't like it.

As soon as Sakura was done with the paperwork she leaned over to hand it to Ryo. "Here you go Ryo."

Ryo reached forward to grab the paperwork and Sakura's hand. "Thank you Sakura-san. May the faiths be kind and allow me to see you again."

Sakura smiled at Ryo and pulled her hand back. She knew he was flirting with her. He had been doing it for sometime, but she never once did anything to reciprocate his advances. But then again she never told him she was taken. To be honest it really wasn't any of his business, so she never said anything about Lee.

As she walked out of Ryo's room, Lee moved to walk beside her and reached out to grab her hand. He looked back right before exiting the room to make sure Ryo was watching. Sure enough, Ryo was watching and he didn't look happy.

* * *

"Neji-niisan?"

Neji turned toward the doorway. He watched as Hinata and Naruto walked in, Sasuke stayed by the door. Neji quickly turned his back to them. He had yet to wrap his forehead, leaving his seal in plain view.

"Hinata-sama, I'm fine." His words came out cold and harsh, leaving him feeling guilty. He knew she was there because she was worried, she always worried about everyone in the clan.

Naruto noticed that Hinata was slightly hurt by Neji's coldness. Over the years the two of them had gotten pretty close. Naruto knew Neji probably didn't mean to be so distant. Stepping closer to Hinata, he placed his hand on his shoulder and motions toward the door. She looked at him, then toward the door just in time to see Sasuke leave. Understanding that Naruto wanted to be alone with Neji she squeezed his hand and left the room.

Neither Naruto nor Neji make a sound. Both of them simply stand there. After what seems like forever Neji speaks. "You should go with them."

Without saying anything Naruto approaches Neji and turns him around. Neji doesn't fight him. He knows it would be useless to fight Naruto, he's way too stubborn.

Naruto examines the cut Neji has on his forehead. The wound is right over Neji's eye, next to the seal. Naruto notices that if the slash was done just a little lower Neji might have lost his eye. The cut itself is red around the edges, giving it an angry look. He can tell that it was probably very deep before Neji got it healed.

"How did you get this?"

"I was careless."

Carefully Naruto reaches up and touches the skin around the wound. "Does it hurt?"

Neji closes his eyes and takes a moment to answer Naruto's question. "That depends on which wound you mean?"

Naruto stops tracing the cut and looks at Neji. He remembers the first time Neji showed him the seal. Naruto couldn't believe that something so barbaric was still being used. Naruto would pity Neji, if it weren't for the fact that Neji might kick his ass for feeling that way. The last thing Neji wanted or needed was pity.

"Can it be removed?"

"I don't know."

This time Naruto moves his fingers to trace over the seal. "There are too many people in this world caged by their seals."

Neji opens his eyes and stares at Naruto. He sees understanding in Naruto's eyes. Neji can't help but feel slightly confused about what Naruto is feeling. "How would you know what it's like?"

Naruto steps away from Neji. He has a knowing smirk on his face. Naruto knows his reaction to Neji's question is probably angering him. "I know you have some idea of what I mean. You probably have some questions about me and what I have. I hate to see you think so little of yourself. You're a genius remember."

"You still haven't answered my question."

'Damnit.' Naruto had hoped that if he danced around the question he could get away with not answering it. But of course, Neji was smarter than that. Naruto also knew that when it came to stubbornness, Neji could be really pushy if he wanted. Lying to Neji was out of the question, he would be able to tell almost instantly. Sighing heavily Naruto knew he had no choice but to tell Neji.

"I trust you. There are few I would want to fight by my side, and you are one of them. You also know the burden seals carry."

With that Naruto lifted his shirt and gathered some chakra, revealing the seal. Naruto saw Neji's eye widen at the sight of the complex seal.

"What does it seal?"

"My demon."

Neji doesn't question Naruto further about the seal. He can tell that Naruto was hesitant about showing him the seal, which could only mean that few knew about it. Reaching out he lowers Naruto's shirt. "Does Hinata know?"

"I haven't told her yet." Without another word Neji turns and grabs his head wrappings. Naruto watches him walk over to a mirror and start wrapping his head. Once the seal is covered, Naruto turns and walks toward the door. He puts his hand on the doorknob but doesn't open it. "We'll wait for you outside, and don't worry I haven't forgotten my promise to you."

When Naruto walks out of the room and into the hall he sees Hinata and Sasuke sitting in some chairs across from the room. Hinata instantly gets up and walks over to him.

"How is he?"

"Fine. He was just embarrassed about being hurt."

"I need to talk to him."

When Hinata walks into Neji's room, Naruto takes her seat next to Sasuke. Naruto could tell that Sasuke was slightly irritated about something.

"What's wrong?"

"Why does she insist on seeing him? It's obvious he doesn't want to talk."

"She's worried, that's all."

"Does it bother you?"

It takes Naruto only a second to catch on to what Sasuke is insinuating at. With a smile on his face, Naruto turns and says, "Do I seem like the jealous type to you?"

"I was just wondering."

After a few more minutes Neji and Hinata walk out of the room and the four of them left the hospital. As they approached the ramen stand they saw that Sakura and Lee were already waiting outside. All six of them sat around a table and ordered their food. The talk was lively, and Naruto couldn't be happier.

No one noticed the three figures that hid in the shadows of a tree from across the street. No one noticed one of the figures clinch a fist when Lee put his arm around Sakura. No one noticed the way one of the figures smiled when Naruto yelled at Sasuke. No one noticed the three figures as they left Konoha, not to be seen again for two years.

* * *

**One Year Later**

* * *

"Oye Naruto, is Hinata joining us for dinner?" Sakura exited the kitchen just in time to hear Naruto yell back a no from the bedroom. She also heard Sasuke grumble something about not being able to sleep in his own house.

Shaking her head Sakura walked back in the kitchen to finish making dinner. As she cooked she thought about how much had changed since Sasuke came back home. They were actually happy. It had been so long since she could honestly say she was happy. Naruto and Sasuke were doing wonderfully at the academy. Naruto was a natural born teacher. As soon as his students figured out how to mold chakra they were learning jutsu's left and right. Naruto was surprisingly patient with his students. He was also very caring. She remembered coming home one day to find the house full of students. When she confronted him about it he said that they had all passed a very important test and had no family to celebrate it with.

Naruto's relationship with Hinata was also progressing nicely. The Hyuuga clan welcomed Naruto with open arms. He quickly became a regular sparing partner for the clan since he was the only one in Konoha who could take on a Hyuuga and walk away from it. A few months into his relationship he told Hinata he was in love with her. Naruto told Sakura that when he told her Hinata started crying and said she loved him too. Sakura couldn't be happier for him. He deserved someone like Hinata. Although she did feel a little jealous at their relationship, since her relationship with Lee wasn't progressing as fast.

After two years of dating she finally told Lee she loved him. She giggled as she remembered how Lee started doing back flips and almost knocked her over when he regained enough composure to hug her. Since then things have been kinda slow. They've reached a point in their relationship where they were comfortable. Lee was a regular at the Uchiha house. He would spar with both Naruto and Sasuke, eat dinner, have talks with Sakura and go home. It was almost like having a forth roommate.

Sasuke was still single. Sakura had tried to play matchmaker, but they all ended in an annoyed Sasuke. He finally told her to stop trying to set him up. He later confessed to her that he had no desire to continue the Uchiha line. The only way he would was if he met the right girl, and the chances of that were about as great as him using the Sexy no Jutsu. But being single didn't leave Sasuke with time to kill, the academy made sure of that.

His students learned how to wield a kunai with great precision. They're ability to hit targets was wonderful. He started them off with mastering how to use just one kunai or shuriken at a time. Once that was accomplished he would have them use two at a time, then three and so forth. He pushed his students in such a way that it was encouraging as well as motivating. When the academy let out there was always a line of students waiting outside his office. He would stay late and help each and everyone of the students. No matter how late it got, or how tired he was, Sasuke would never turn anyone away. On some nights Sasuke would come home so late that he would just go straight to bed. On one particularly tiring night he told Naruto that the reason he never turned anyone away was because his family would always tell him later and later would never come. Sasuke of course left out the fact that when he meant family, he was really talking about Itachi.

"Sakura you burned the rice!"

Sakura turned to see what Naruto was yelling about. She had been so caught up in her thoughts, she forgot all about the food.

"Sorry, I guess I kinda zoned out for a second there."

"Sakura, you burned all the food."

Sure enough every last bit of food was either burned or two steps away from burned. Sakura left the kitchen and went to retrieve her purse. Since it was her fault the food was burned she knew she would have to go buy something else. When she opened the front door and Lee was standing there with his arm raised. He was about to knock.

"Sakura where are you going?"

"Come with me and I'll tell you."

Naruto was in the kitchen throwing away burnt food and washing the dishes. He heard Sasuke walk in a while later. The late hours Sasuke was working, as well as all the work he was putting into helping Naruto with his project were really taking its toll.

"You know Sasuke the monthly Hokage meeting is this week."

Sasuke pulled out a chair and sat down. "I know. I'll be there with you when you announce your plan for the orphanage."

"Have I thanked you yet for all your help on that?"

"No, you haven't."

"Okay, just checking."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the response. He knew that was Naruto's way of saying thanks. Still no thanks was needed. When Naruto approached him with the idea of the orphanage, Sasuke was more than happy to help. There were way too many children in the academy who were alone, and who knew how many kids who weren't enrolled were alone as well. An orphanage could only benefit the village.

"Exit exams are tomorrow." Sasuke could hear the nervousness in Naruto's voice.

"They'll all do fine."

"Dad said he was going to make the exam extra hard since they've all been doing so well."

"Naruto, they'll do fine."

Naruto continued to wash dishes and Sasuke continued to sit and watch. Neither said anything, there really wasn't a need for words. Sasuke knew Naruto was nervous about the exit exam and the meeting. Naruto knew Sasuke would be by his side to ease his nerves. They remained quiet until Sakura came back home carrying food, well Lee was the one holding all the food, but still food had arrived.

Once situated around the table the four of them fell into their regular routine of eating and talking. Lee told them about his latest mission, Naruto talked about how his students were doing in school, Sakura talked about the people she treated in the hospital, and Sasuke would comment here and there.

"Hey Naruto, where's Hinata?"

Naruto quickly swallowed his food before answering Lee. The last time he talked with his mouth full Sakura had yelled at him because of his poor table manners. "She has patrol duty tonight. She said she was going to be relieved around midnight."

"Just leave your window open." Sakura watched as Naruto shot her a look of shock and embarrassment. "I know she comes over and spends the night sometimes."

"Naruto-kun I would have never thought."

Naruto's face went from a light pink to a full blown out red. "We don't do anything but talk and sleep. It's nothing like you two perverts do in her room." It was now Sakura and Lee's turn to blush. He knew they hadn't taken that step yet, but it was still fun to mess with them.

"Naruto, isn't your anniversary coming up?" Sasuke was the household calendar. He knew when Naruto's, Sakura's, Lee's and more recently Hinata's birthday was. He knew almost every obscure date of an important event. He really didn't know when it became habit to memorize important dates, but he found that when he would say Happy Birthday or give a small present the look on the other persons face made it okay. It made it easier for him to get over his guilt for leaving. It made him feel like he was making up for lost time.

"Yeah actually it's next week. I plan on taking her to the Tea country for two weeks. I already asked Tsunade-no-baachan for permission to leave. We're gonna be staying with the Wasabi clan, and we're gonna go see the Sakura Festival."

"Wow Naruto, you're really going all out." Sakura couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous of Hinata. Naruto was really going out of his way to make this anniversary special. She watched as Naruto gave her a sheepish smile. She knew that smile; he was hiding something. "Naruto what do you have planned?"

"Huh…..oh nothing."

Bingo. She knew it.

"Naruto, what do you have planned?"

This wasn't how Naruto wanted to tell everyone. He wanted to wait until him and Hinata came back to let everyone know. But he knew he wasn't going to be leaving the table without telling them. He couldn't lie either, Sakura and Sasuke would be able to tell if he was lying.

"If you must know. I talked to Hiashi-sama last week and I got permission from him to ask Hinata for her hand."

Lee fell out of his chair, Sasuke dropped his chopsticks and Sakura forgot how to breath. Lee was the first one to regain enough composure. "You're going to propose?"

"Yes. She's the one, I know she is. I didn't want to say anything just in case she said no."

Gracefully picking up his chopsticks, Sasuke looked Naruto square in the eye. "She's not going to say no."

* * *

Naruto turned and looked at his alarm clock.

12:11 A.M.

He wondered if Hinata was going to come over tonight. He understood if she didn't. She almost got caught a few weeks ago by one of her uncles when she tried to sneak back into her room. They were both lucky that Neji was on their side and helped her come up with an excuse.

He turned back over to look at the window, and hoped nothing bad happened while she was on patrol. The night shift was always the most dangerous. She was a good shinobi, she could handle herself, but still he worried. Naruto heard a shuffling outside the window and watched as Hinata climbed in.

"Hinata."

"Did I wake you Naruto?"

"No, I was already up." Naruto watched as Hinata took off her shoes, chuunin vest, headband and socks. He shifted in the bed making room for her and waited for her to climb in. As she approached the bed she hesitated and started looking for something on his nightstand.

"Naruto, do you have any tissue?"

Naruto wordlessly reached over and opened a drawer. When she grabbed the tissue he turned on the lamp that was on his nightstand. He saw that Hinata had a small cut on her cheek and a bruise on her shoulder. He quickly sat up in the bed and reached further in the drawer for some band aids.

"What happened?"

Hinata spoke as Naruto proceeded to clean her cut and put a bandaid on it. "There was a rouge ninja that tried to enter the village. I was called in as backup when he became violent. Me and another chuunin chased him out of the village."

"You fought him?"

"Yeah. He was really fast." What she didn't tell him was that he looked familiar. It wasn't until she noticed he had one arm, that she realized who he was. But she didn't want to worry Naruto. He had enough on his mind. Besides she had already given her report to her jounin supervisor. He assured her that he would tell the Hokage about the one armed ninja in the morning.

Naruto nodded in response. Once her cut was covered he turned the lamp off and laid down. He opened his arms and waited for Hinata to join him. She climbed in under the sheets and moved into his arms. He lay on his back with his arms around Hinata. She had her head on his shoulder and had her arms wrapped around his waist. She could feel his hand running through her hair.

"Good night." Naruto kissed the top of her head. With his lips still pressed in her hair he whispered, "I love you."

Hinata squeezed him in response before looking up and kissing him on the cheek. "I love you too."

* * *

"The meeting is now in session." Tsunade waited until everyone quieted down before continuing. As she looked around the room she was surprised to see a few new faces. These meetings weren't mandatory to attend, but new faces meant they wanted something. "Our first order of the day is that recently there has been a rouge ninja roaming the outskirts of the village. We don't know what he wants or why he is here. If you encounter that ninja, please detain him and bring him in for questioning. I warn you though he will not hesitate to attack and is very skilled."

Naruto knew she was talking about the same ninja that Hinata fought with a few days ago. He hoped that when he left for the Tea Country tomorrow that he wouldn't run into the ninja. Naruto didn't want to start his vacation with Hinata by getting in a fight.

"I will now give the floor to Iruka, who has a special announcement."

Iruka walked to the front of the room and turned to face everyone. Naruto noted he was holding a sheet of paper in his hand.

"As some of you know exit exams were recently held at the academy. This year every student that took the exam passed." All the ninjas in the room started whispering amoung themselves at the news. Iruka raised his hand, signaling that he had more to say. "All the students were placed with jounin instructors and were given an addition test to see if they were ready to work as a team and carry out missions. They all passed. This is the first time something like this has happened."

This was news to Naruto and Sasuke. They were aware that all the students passed, but they didn't know they were all going to keep their title as genins. A ninja sitting in the front raised his hand.

"Does that mean that the exit exams were too easy this year?"

"Well actually I modified the exam to make it harder. The jounin instructors modified their exams as well. We just had a wonderful batch of students this year, as well as wonderful instructors."

Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Kiba smiling at him. Leaning in he whispered just loud enough for both Naruto and Sasuke to hear. "Who would have thought? Great job guys."

When he leaned back Naruto noticed that Shino was sitting next to him, and Sakura was sitting behind them. She smiled at Naruto and gave him a thumbs up. He turned when he heard Tsunade talking once more.

"Before I open the floor I want to say that announcements will be sent out next week to chuunins who have been chosen to be promoted at jounins. Don't worry if you are not here when the announcements go out." Naruto smiled, knowing that last part was directed at him. "The floor is now open for anyone who wishes to speak."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke. Sasuke nodded his head, a move Naruto recognized as encouragement, so he raised his hand. When Tsunade acknowledged him, Naruto stood.

"Uzumaki Naruto, chuunin. I have a proposal that I think would benefit Konoha greatly. I propose we build an orphanage. In my year at the academy I have seen too many children with no one to go home to. They have no one to teach them about what its like to have a family, to be loved. There is only so much we as instructors can do for them. There are also many people in Konoha who would love to have a child, but for one reason or another can't have one."

"Naruto I hope you are aware of all the work an orphanage requires."

"Yes I am. I will gladly dedicate myself to it."

"He will have me to help him." Naruto turned to see Sasuke standing next to him.

"Are you both aware that if you dedicate yourselves to this project that you will not be able to carry out missions?"

At this Naruto sagged his shoulders. He hadn't really thought of that. He wanted to do missions. One year without missions was more than enough for him. He was about to protest when he heard a chair scrapping the floor behind him.

"If Uzumaki-san and Uchiha-san would like, I will run the orphanage for them." Both Naruto and Sasuke turned to see none other then Hijiro looking right at them. The shock was evident in their faces. "I think the idea is wonderful and I will of course run the orphanage they both planned."

Sasuke observed Hijiro for a moment. He was looking for any sign that he might try to trick them, or take advantage of them. But would someone be stupid enough to announce their loyalty to a project infront of so many people only to back down later? When Hijiro smiled warmly at him, he realized that he was not the same man from a year earlier. Sasuke looked over at Naruto and nodded.

"Hijiro-san, we except your offer."

"Well then that's settled. You three get together and met with me later to go over the details."

Naruto couldn't be happier. She had approved of the proposal. He was so excited he hugged Sasuke and then ran over and hugged Hijiro. Everyone in the room laughed. Tsuande waited until Sasuke dragged Naruto back to his seat before continuing with the meeting.

"Is there anyone else who would like to speak?"

This time Sakura raised her hand. "Haruno Sakura, chuunin. I know we don't have enough ninjas to train as medical nins to send out with teams when they go on missions. So instead I was wondering if there could be a program created where nins come in and get taught basic medical training?"

Tsunade couldn't help but get a sudden sense of déjà vu. One of the elders sitting at the table leaned forward and asked Sakura a question. "Sakura why do you think teaching nins basic medical techniques is important?"

"I have seen too many shinobis come to the hospital with life altering injuries that could have been avoided. Do you know that just last week I treated an Anbu member for gangrene? I had to anputate his arm from the elbow down. This could have been easily avoided with proper education."

Tsunade sighed heavily. She had heard about that case. It had been years since they treated anyone with gangrene. "Sakura, how can you be sure a program like this would work?"

"I have already tested it out on a few ninjas in the village."

"Oh really, who?"

As if on cue Kiba and Shino both stood up.

"What did she teach you?"

Kiba spoke first. "Well she taught me how to properly treat cuts, from small cuts to huge gashes. She also taught me how to treat acid burns, since sometimes Akamaru's attacks land on me."

Tsunade turned her attention to Shino. "She also taught me how to properly treat cuts. She also taught me special techinques I should use when treating myself because of my kikai."

Tsunade couldn't help but be impressed with her apprentice. Not only did she teach them something basic, but also gave them specific knowledge on something that they might encounter on a regular basis.

"Sakura are you aware that such a program would require your total devotion. Unlike the proposal before yours, there can be no one else but you in charge."

"I am aware of that Tsunade-shishou, and I plan to dedicate myself to this program."

"Very well then. I plan to meet with you soon as well to get things underway. Is there anyone else who would like to speak?"

When no one else raised their hands Tsunade ended the meeting. Sakura thanked Kiba and Shino for their support. Once done with that she walked over to Naruto and Sasuke.

"Congratulations you guys."

"You too Sakura. Lee would have been so proud of you."

Naruto smiled at Sakura, while Sasuke gave his typical smirk. Sakura noticed Hijiro walking toward them and motioned for Naruto and Sasuke to turn around. When Hijiro approached them he greeted Sakura and turned his attention to Naruto.

"I never got to apologize for my behavior…"

"Forget it. I'm not the kind to hold grudges."

Hijiro couldn't hide his shock. He had heard a lot about Naruto and Sasuke over the past year. The more he heard about them, the more he was surprised. They were nothing like he expected them to be. When he heard what they had planned he was suddenly possessed with the need to help.

"Shall I meet with you two tomorrow then?"

"Well actually I won't be here tomorrow. I'm taking my girlfriend on vacation for two weeks."

"I can meet with you. Tomorrow, around noon at my place?"

"That works. Believe me when I say that I will do everything in my power to run the place just as you envisioned it."

* * *

Tsunade sat in her office waiting for all the invited jounins, and Anbu captains to arrive. She liked having back to back meetings because it got them out of the way. Although she didn't know the monthly meeting was going to be so eventful. But this meeting was jut as important. It was time to decide who would be promoted to jounin.

Tsunade had received all the reports about the chuunins up for promotion the week before. From this meeting she would hear out who the potentials were and from there she would make her final decision. Tsunade looked around realizing there was one person missing. She knew better then to start without him, since his students were up for promotion.

After ten minutes Kakashi finally walked in through the door. He walked over to the wall and leaned against it, unapologetically.

"Now that everyone is here," Tsunade shot Kakashi a death glare, which he ignored, "I would like to hear who everyone thinks should be promoted."

Someone mentioned Sakura's name, which was quickly seconded. Someone from the back stepped forward to speak on Sakura's behalf. "Hokage-sama, I have worked with Sakura in the hospital for the past year. She is exceptionally talented when it comes to treating patients. I have also observed her in training. Her promotion would only benefit the jounin ranks."

Tsunade watched as everyone nodded in agreement. She turned her gaze to Kakashi, who she could tell was smiling. Tsunade wrote down Sakura's name and asked if there was anyone else. Shino's name was mentioned, and also seconded. The jounins thought he would be wonderful for infiltration and information gathering missions.

After writing Shino's name down, Tsunade watched as an Anbu captain stepped forward. "I speak on behalf of all the captains. We believe the Anbu would greatly benefit by having Neji, Lee, and possibly Naruto and Sasuke join."

This announcement caused a reaction from everyone in the room. Tsunade watched as the jounins and Anbu talked it out.

"I agree that having Neji and Lee would be beneficial, but don't you think Naruto and Sasuke are too young?"

"Neji and Lee are 18, where as Naruto and Sasuke are 17. There is not that great a difference in their age."

"Can Naruto and Sasuke be trusted?"

"There is no question that Naruto can trusted. Sasuke, I think can be trusted as well."

"But he has only been back for a year."

"He is loyal to Naruto, and for that reason I think Sasuke can be trusted."

"Will they both be able to handle everything that comes with being an Anbu?"

"I have no doubt about Sasuke. Naruto, he will learn to handle it."

Tsunade decided to interrupt and get the opinion from someone who knew the boys.

"Iruka what do you think?"

Without hesitation Iruka turned to Tsunade. "I don't think it would be wise to ask for my opinion since I am biased."

It was no secret that Naruto thought of Iruka as his father. Many were shocked when they first found out. Some even tried to convince Iruka to push Naruto away. Those people quickly learned what kind of temper Iruka had.

"Iruka I insist."

"I think they can both handle it."

Tsunade quickly scanned the room. She motioned for Kakashi to step forward and for Jirayia to step forward. "You both trained with Naruto and Sasuke for one month. What do you think?"

Kakashi and Jirayia looked at each other and reached for a chair. Sitting down they both sighed heavily and Tsunade knew. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

**Roiyaru **- means Loyal

**Gangrene **- is necrosis(death) and subsequent decay of body tissues caused by many number of things including infection, thrombosis and lack of blood flow. In other words, not a good thing.

**Kikai** – destruction bugs.

**-shishou** – teacher/master

* * *

Yeah yeah, I know evil. I don't know if anyone can tell that I'm a history major with the way I worked Tsunade and Kabuto's meeting. I didn't mean for it to sound so…….schooly. But who cares. YAY I named the last Sound nin.

Did anyone notice how I tried to slip in my year time jump. I had thought about not doing that, but then again I had nothing really planned for that year. Besides I felt that the story wasn't progressing fast enough.

My beta asked me what Kiba, Ino and everyone else were doing. To be honest, I don't know. Their appearances in my story will be like guest appearances. Neji got a big chunk this time cause I have a plan for him. This is a Team 7 story, and I will focus on them 99.99 of the time.

Why did I place Naruto at the academy? So he could come up with the orphanage idea! Did anyone ever notice how many people don't have parents? I find that sad, so I'm gonna fix it. Sakura's program also has a purpose, aside from the obvious.

Next chapter: Naruto and Hinata's vacation! I also want to warn people that I have planned for future chapters, some violence, and angst. People have been happy for too long. Yeah yeah, I know me evil.

Please leave comments, reviews, birthday presents…..

**Shamless plug: Please visit narutonin dot com**


	15. Moments in Teal and Red

**Disclaimer: **Now do I really have to say this when we all know the awful truth? Oh you don't know :cries: I don't own Naruto….happy now :runs:

Warning: slight gore, as well as a reference to the manga, although the series is finally catching up to it. You might not even notice it though.

* * *

Chapter 15: Moments in Teal and Red

* * *

Naruto inhaled deeply. The cool morning air filled his lungs and calmed his nerves. Two weeks. He was going to have Hinata all to himself for two weeks. He couldn't wait. Not only was he excited about taking her to the Tea Country, since she hadn't gone there yet, he was also kind of excited about seeing Idate again.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hinata walking up. She was right on time. As she approached him, Naruto could see she was smiling. Suddenly not even the cool morning air could calm his nerves. He was going to have Hinata all to himself for two weeks. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Good morning Naruto-kun."

"Morning Hinata." Naruto leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "Ready to go?"

After a quick pack adjustment the two were off. The trip there would take only one day, two if they got lazy. But Naruto didn't want to spend the night out in the woods, especially since the rogue ninja was still on the loose.

When they entered a clearing, Naruto motioned for Hinata. Naruto wanted to be far away from the village before doing this; he didn't want to upset anyone. Thankfully this clearing was the perfect distance away. He took off his pack, and helped her put it on. She was going to have to wear two packs for this, but she didn't mind. He got down on his knees and waited for her to wrap her arms around his neck. When she finally did, he reached back and grabbed her legs. He stood up and started to tap into the Kyuubi chakra. After a moment of concentration he squeezed Hinata's leg, signaling her to hold on.

Anyone watching them from a distance would have wondered what the hell happened. One minute the couple was there, and the next they were gone.

* * *

What would have taken a day, took Naruto one afternoon. They arrived in the Tea Country that night, slightly tired but over all okay. Naruto didn't waste time showing Hinata around, since he had a whole two weeks to do that, so instead they went straight to the Wasabi compound. By this point he had put Hinata down and was once again holding his pack.

As they entered the compound, the sounds of dinner could be heard. The couple followed the sounds to one of the buildings. Naruto opened the door to reveal the entire clan eating dinner. He recognized some of them, but the vast majority of them were unknown to Naruto. He quickly scanned the room until he found Idate.

"Oye Idate! Aren't you going to welcome me?"

The entire room went silent and all eyes turned toward Naruto and Hinata, well mostly Naruto. Idate quickly got up and approached Naruto. As he stood in front of Naruto his face remained emotionless.

"Quit the act. I know you're excited about seeing me." Naruto playfully punched Idate in the shoulder. Instantly a smile appeared on Idate's face and he hugged Naruto.

"It's good to see you again Naruto. Want something to eat?"

Naruto looked back at Hinata. He could tell she was tired. Food could wait. They needed sleep.

"No thank you. Could you show us where we'll be staying?"

Idate looked behind Naruto and quickly introduced himself to Hinata. "My name is Idate. I take it you're Hinata. Please follow me and I'll show you to you're rooms."

With that Idate turned and walked toward the housing area of the compound. The head of the clan had died a few years back. After a unanimous vote, Idate was named the new head. He was so excited he wrote a letter to Naruto announcing his new position. From then on the two would wrote letters to each other every few months. But they hadn't actually seen each other since before his promotion.

"This used to be my living quarters."

The house was large, three bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen and living room. There was a long porch that ran along the wall where the bedrooms were located. Naruto knew the porch faced the ocean. When Idate was through giving them a tour he showed Hinata to her room at the end of the small hall.

"Naruto, your room is this way."

Naruto noticed that the room set aside for him was at the other end of the hall, with the third bedroom separating the two. He shook his head at Idate.

"What? Are you not happy with the house?"

"No it's not that. It's just that we're going to end up sharing a room."

"You have some guts Naruto. Sharing a room, and with a Hyuuga no less. Well do whatever you want. Breakfast is served at 8, if you can't make it I'll have the cook set something aside for the two of you."

Turning to walk back to Hinata's room, Naruto said a thank you over his shoulder.

* * *

Naruto woke up feeling slightly cold. Without opening his eyes he felt around the bed for Hinata. When he couldn't find her he sat up in the bed. He spotted her through the open door standing on the porch. She had on a robe and was staring at the ocean. Without turning she told Naruto good morning. Naruto got up and stood next to her. The ocean looked beautiful.

"Have you ever seen the ocean before?"

"No I haven't. Thank you for bringing me here Naruto."

"Maybe later today we can go down to the beach."

The peaceful moment was broken when Naruto's stomach growled. He laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Let's get washed up and go have breakfast before you start eating the bedding."

"Aww, Hinata that's not nice." He playfully lunged at her in an attempt to tickle her. Hinata easily escaped his hands and ran to the bathroom. Within 15 minutes the couple was able to leave the house and head toward the large mess hall. As they approached they saw a few men already leaving the mess hall. Upon entering Idate waved them over.

"I thought you two were going to sleep in?"

"We didn't eat anything all day yesterday. Hunger beat out sleeping."

Idate laughed at Naruto's antics. One of the servants quickly came and gave Naruto and Hinata their food. When they were done, they stayed and talked with Idate. The conversation was light. Hinata wanted to know about when he first met Naruto. As Idate told Hinata, Naruto would randomly yell at Idate for exaggerating certain situations.

"…then as Naruto was holding on to my ankles all of his kunai fell out of his pouch. You should have seen the look on his face. All he could do was yell like a little girl."

"Hey it was either the weapons or you. Be glad I had a momentary lapse of stupidity and didn't let you go."

Laughter erupted from everyone listening in on the story. As Hinata looked around, she noticed that the boy sitting across from her was staring at her. The boy leaned forward and stared at her face intently. When Naruto noticed he fell quiet and waited to see what Hinata would do. The whole room fell quiet by the time the boy was only a few inches from Hinata.

"Why are your eyes so weird?"

One of the clansmen sitting closest to the boy grabbed the back of his pants and pulled him back in his seat.

"Don't ask rude questions!"

"Why? I want to know."

Idate became worried that Hinata was going to get upset, or worse that Naruto would get upset. Trying to defuse the situation, Idate began apologizing for the boy's behavior.

"Idate-san, it's okay. It's normal for young children to be curious." Hinata turned to the boy and smiled warmly at him. "My eyes looks weird because they have no color. All the members of my clan have the same eyes."

Encouraged by Hinata's response the boy ran to the other side of the table and stood next to Hinata. She noted that the boy couldn't be more then six years old. He cupped her face and moved it back and forth to get a better look at her.

"Why do all the members of your clan have eyes like this then?"

"It helps me in battle."

"Battle? Are you a ninja?" When Hinata nodded the boy became so excited he let go of her face and started jumping. "Really! I've never met a ninja before. Does that mean Naruto is a ninja too?" When she nodded again the boy stepped back and clapped his hands together. "Can I see you fight? I wanna see a ninja fight!"

Naruto and Hinata both laughed at the enthusiasm of the boy. Idate once again began apologizing.

"I'm so sorry. His father just recently joined the clan. He has a strange obsession with ninjas."

Naruto waved off the apology from Idate.

"There's no need to apologize." Naruto turned back to the boy and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "You wanna see a ninja fight?" The boy nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, but only if Hinata agrees."

The boy quickly turned to Hinata and bowed graciously. "Please Hinata-sama!"

Hinata reached forward and lifted the boy's head by hooking her finger under his chin. "Well I haven't sparred with Naruto in quite some time."

Overjoyed the boy threw himself forward and hugged Hinata. Hinata laughed and sat the boy down in her lap. He spent the rest of breakfast eating off of Hinata's plate, as well as Naruto's. Once they were done eating Naruto asked Idate if there were any large clearings in the area to hold the sparing match in.

"No, unfortunately we don't have any large enough. I know Hyuuga techniques take up a lot of space." Hinata turned and looked at Idate with a surprised look on her face. "Oh I should have told you Hinata, I'm originally from the Hidden Leaf, and so I know all about the Hyuuga clan."

"I know we can hold the match out on the beach, or better yet on the water. How does that sound to you Hinata?"

"That works. We don't have to worry about you knocking any trees over."

"Oh and Idate, do you by any chance happen to have a spare katana I can borrow? I left mine at home."

"Yeah actually I do."

"Thanks. So shall we go?"

After changing into something more appropriate for sparring, Naruto and Hinata walked to the beach. When they got there the whole clan, and a few villagers were already waiting. Idate handed Naruto his spare katana, and told him if he breaks it not to worry about it. After throwing the young boy a smile, the couple walked out on the water. Naruto strapped the katana to his back and faced Hinata, who was already in a fighting stance.

"Don't hold back on me Hinata."

"Same to you."

A slight gasp passed through the crowd when Hinata activated her **Byakugan. **Naruto knew why they gasped. It wasn't everyday you saw huge veins pop out near someone's eyes. Naruto reached back and unsheathed the katana. Holding it in a casual looking way, he fell into a stance and rushed at Hinata.

* * *

Knock knock

Sakura looked up from her reading when she heard the knocking on the door. It had been a long time since the house had gotten so many visitors. Only an hour ago, Hijiro had come by looking for Sasuke. Sasuke grabbed a small box from Naruto's room and left with Hijiro. He said he wouldn't be back till later. A few medical nins also came by to tell Sakura that they were going to be helping her out. Even Iruka came by with a list of genins that had great potential when it came to medical jutsu's. She was actually looking over that list when she heard the knocking.

Knock KNOCK!

"I'm coming, geez. Have some patience." Sakura opened the door prepared to give whoever it was an earful, but she never got the chance.

"But it's so much fun getting you mad."

"Kakashi, honestly." Sakura moved aside and let her old sensei walk in.

"Would you prefer I came by at 3am again?" Sakura could tell he was smiling by the way his eye looked. Who would have guessed one eye could tell you just what his mouth was doing? Kakashi removed his shoes and walked over to the table, where Sakura was already sitting.

"What is it you want to tell me?"

"Well…" Kakashi reached into his vest and pulled out three letters, two thin and one thick. The two thins ones were addressed to Sakura and Sasuke. The thick one was addresses to Naruto. "…I was sent to give you these."

Without hesitation Sakura snatched the one addresses to her. She quickly opened it and read it. When she was done she threw her arms around Kakashi. "I MADE JOUNIN!"

"Sakura, I think you broke my shoulder." Sakura quickly released Kakashi, only to see that he was joking.

"Can I open their letters?" She pointed at the other two letters on the table. The curiosity was killing her.

"Sorry, only they can open them." Kakashi quietly laughed at the pout that Sakura gave him. In that small instant he felt like she was twelve again and he was her sensei. But just as quickly as that moment came, it was gone.

"Stay for dinner. I want to celebrate."

Kakashi nodded. They sat at the table for a few hours talking and reminiscing of the good old days. He gave her some advice about the jounin ranks, who to watch out for, who gossiped too much, who liked to kiss butt and so forth. Once it started getting dark, Sakura got up and started dinner. Kakashi walked around the living room looking at the pictures on the wall.

So many memories.

There was a picture of Team 7 when his students were only naïve twelve year olds. He saw Sasuke and Naruto yelling. He assumed Sakura took the picture. There was a picture of Naruto and Jirayia. The old hermit had his arms crossed and was looking away from a very angry looking Naruto. There was a picture of Naruto, Sakura and Idate. Kakashi remembered that day; he took the picture. It was his first time meeting Idate. Next was a picture of Sakura and Lee; Naruto's fingers were in the top corner of the picture. The last picture that got his attention was also the newest addition. It was Team 7 again; instead this time his students were sixteen years old. They were also as tall as him.

'How times change.'

"Welcome home, Sasuke." Kakashi had been staring at the picture with such concentration that he didn't hear Sasuke walk into the house. It wasn't until Sakura welcomed him home that Kakashi turned and went to the dinning room table.

"Evening Sasuke."

"Kakashi." Sasuke was looking at the letters on the table. He picked up the one with his name on it and opened it. He read it slowly, then folded it up and put it in his pocket.

"Well, did you get promoted?"

Sasuke looked at Kakashi, smirked and walked into the kitchen to help Sakura.

* * *

"Naruto, I think your girlfriend kicked your ass."

"Shut it Idate." Naruto was laying face down on the beach. Hinata was sitting next to him. She had her hand on his back and was rubbing soothing circles. The villagers had left a while ago once the spar was over. Half of them were wet from all the ocean water they splashed around, while the other half had run off when Hinata had thrown Naruto on the beach. Naruto toned out Idate. The hand on his back was putting him to sleep. Once the sun had set he felt the same hand shake him awake.

"Naruto get up, we have to get back."

Without a word Naruto got up and walked back to the compound. After taking quick showers the couple went to dinner. The entire clan showered Hinata with praise and teased Naruto about losing. Naruto took it well, but Hinata knew something was wrong. After they returned to their sleeping quarters, she stopped Naruto as he walked over to his pack to get his pajama bottoms.

"You held back. Why?"

Naruto looked away. He stared at the floor for a moment before answering. He knew Hinata would wait patiently for an answer.

"I didn't…I knew they would take it better if you won."

Hinata grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and turned his body so they were now facing each other. "Naruto, I don't understa—"

"They won't praise someone who beat their girlfriend. If you won no one would have their feelings hurt." A small smile graced Hinata's face. She moved her hands from his shoulders to his face. "We can have a real sparring match when we get back home."

"You promise?" Naruto finally turned his eyes back onto Hinata. He smiled back at her, and nodded. "Good, now lets get to sleep. Tomorrow we have to get fitted for kimonos."

* * *

After dinner, the former team members sat around the table drinking tea. Sakura asked Sasuke how his meeting with Hijiro went. Sasuke said Hijiro was more organized then he expected. He was also very understanding, and Sasuke had no doubt that Hijiro would remain faithful to the idea and image Naruto had.

After Sasuke was done talking, silence filled the house. Kakashi caught Sakura staring at the thick letter with Naruto's name on it. He knew what the letter said, but he wasn't about to tell them that. Sakura was likely to beat the answer out of him.

"Sakura if you keep staring at it the letter is going to catch on fire."

Sakura glared at Kakashi. When she saw Sasuke smirk at the comment, she clenched her fist. When she felt she had glared at Kakashi enough, Sakura turned her attention to Sasuke. "Don't tell me you're not the least bit curious?"

"It doesn't matter. You're still not going to read it."

Sakura couldn't suppress the loud groan. It might not have sounded very ladylike, but she could care less. Kakashi and Sasuke were pushing all the wrong buttons. If only Lee was here he would make her feel better.

LEE!

"Kakashi, did all the promotion letters go out today?"

Kakashi turned his face upward and thoughtfully scratched his chin. "Well……I think so."

"I wonder if Lee got a letter?"

Sasuke got up from the table, and headed toward the kitchen. On his way he grabbed Sakura's empty teacup. "Why don't you go ask him?"

"He's out on a mission. He won't be back for another few days."

When Sasuke came back from the kitchen, Kakashi got up. "Well it's been great. Thank you for dinner, but I have to get some sleep. Old age is really wearing me down."

"Kakashi-sensei you're not old."

"Sakura shouldn't you call me senpai now?"

Sakura heard the playfulness in Kakashi's tone. Calling Kakashi senpai was his way of telling her she was no longer his student. The thought saddened her, but also excited her. She walked Kakashi to the door. Sakura knew Sasuke was following them.

"Well then, I'll see you two around."

"See you Kakashi-senpai."

"Bye Sakura." He smiled warmly at her. Turning his gaze to Sasuke, Kakashi knew better then to expect Sasuke to call him senpai. "Sasuke."

Sasuke only nodded.

After all the dishes were washed and put away, Sakura went to take a shower. Sasuke waited in his room for Sakura to finish. He sat at his desk and looked over the notes and drawings the students had given him. His favorite was a homemade card they had made thanking him for all his extra help. The students made him feel somewhat redeemed. He knew none of them would ever feel insignificant or ignored like Itachi used to make him feel. But now that he was a jounin he would be taking missions again. His students would now look up to someone else. For a moment he felt a little sad at the idea of not being able to teach again. The moment was gone before he had a chance to think it over too much though.

"Sasuke, are you there? I want to ask you a question."

Sakura was lightly knocking on his bedroom door. Sasuke got up and opened the door for her. She entered the room and sat on his bed, while he returned to his seat at his desk. The door remained open. Sasuke noticed that Sakura was already in her pajama shorts and t-shirt. Her hair was down and she had a towel wrapped around her shoulders. She was also nervously pulling on the corner of her towel.

"What did you want to ask me Sakura?"

Sasuke could tell she was gathering her courage. It was rare occasion when Sakura was nervous around Sasuke. He knew that whatever she wanted to ask was not going to be getting a simple yes or no answer.

"I was thinking that since you're going to be going on missions again, and I'm going to be working on my training project that……well…."

"Sakura, just say it."

"Sasuke why don't you find someone to take care of you?"

Sasuke was taken back by her question. He suddenly felt very insulted. "Do you not think I can take care of myself? I was alone for a very long time Sakura, I know how to take care of myself."

"Sasuke you're still alone."

"What do you mean? I have you and Naruto."

"No Sasuke. Naruto and me can't give you the care you need. When I said alone, I meant you don't have someone to care for. A significant other. I know sometimes you feel left out when Lee or Hinata come over. I know you do, even if you don't say anything. But now that we have missions again and jobs we're not going to be around as often. And if Naruto marries Hinata he'll move out. If I marry Lee, I'll have to move out too. I just want to make sure you're taken care of."

Sasuke looked away from Sakura when he figured out what she was getting at. Now that she was done talking, he remained silent. She wanted him to find a girlfriend. But he didn't really want one. He had told her before; he wasn't the kind of person who was capable of loving someone. He knew his own limits when it came to his heart. He had been through too much, had seen too much to be able to let someone in. He knew he was incapable of opening himself up to someone, of being vulnerable. The friendship and comradery he felt toward Sakura and Naruto were probably as far as he would ever go, and they were expectations. They had gotten past his defenses without his consent, but he wasn't going to let that happen again. The defenses he had built around himself had already set root. He knew he couldn't knock them down.

"I'll be fine."

"But Sasuke, don't you want a family, someone to love. I know you're not as cold hearted you as act. You can bring back your clan, you can –"

"I don't want a family!" Sasuke hadn't meant to yell at Sakura, but what was done was done. He took a deep breath before continuing. "The Sharingan is a curse not a gift. My clan will die with me and _him_."

Sakura remained quiet. She didn't know what to say. For a long time she thought that maybe Sasuke would find someone, that he would be happy. Maybe there was someone out there who could melt his heart, make him laugh and smile and love. Maybe that someone could bring out the Sasuke that could have been. But that idea, that dream, could only be possible if Sasuke wanted. Now that dream slipped threw her fingers like sand.

"Sakura, stop worrying. I'll be fine. Now if you don't mind I want to shower before going to bed."

Sakura hesitated for a moment before getting up and leaving the room. Sasuke quickly got his towel and went to the bathroom. Sasuke took his time in the shower. He would have stayed in the shower longer expect the water started running cold so he got out. As he dried himself in front of the fogged up mirror, he reached over and wiped away the condensation. He just stared at himself for a while. Every scar he saw in the mirror he would run his hand over. He slowly turned his body so he could see his back. Reaching back he touched the top of his shoulder blades. A shiver ran down his body. Turning back to face the mirror he felt depressed. His precious people were leaving him, and there was nothing he could do. He had no right to tell them to stay, to forget their new loved ones and stay with him. Who was he to tell them anything? He caused them so much pain. They deserved to be happy.

They were going to be happy without him, and he could only be happy for them. That was all he had to look forward to, being happy for them and not for himself. But his time of selfishness had come and gone. He knew now, he would forever be a bystander in everyone else's life. The thought didn't give him comfort, but strangely it also didn't make him mad. It just left him feeling empty and alone, again.

But who was he to hold them back?

* * *

Never in his wildest dreams did he think that being fitted for a kimono would be so much work. Thankfully after an hour of being measured, stretched and pulled he was told to go home. His kimono would be sent to him tomorrow. The entire time he was being fitted Idate laughed at him. The bastard already had a kimono. After leaving the shop Naruto and Idate headed back to the compound. Idate had invited Naruto to his quarters, he said he wanted to do some catching up. Naruto agreed only because Hinata's fitting was going to take much longer than his. When they reached Idate's house, they sat on the porch drinking tea.

"So tell me, how did you get yourself a Hyuuga?"

"My natural charm of course. Oww." Idate smacked Naruto in the head. Naruto laughed as he rubbed his head. Idate didn't hit him hard, but faking injury made Idate laugh harder.

"You know you're much happier than the last time I saw you, and it's not all because of her."

Naruto stopped laughing and looked down at his drink. "What do you mean?"

For a long time Idate didn't say anything. Naruto could tell by his mannerisms that Idate was searching for the right words. "I haven't seen you in almost two years. The last time you came neither you nor Sakura were happy. Now you're truly happy, and I think it's because of the return of Sasuke." A silence fell between the two of them. Naruto didn't really know what to say, or where to take the conversation for that matter. So instead of putting his foot in his mouth, he said nothing. "So how is he anyway?"

"Sasuke is good. He still insults me, that will probably never change. He was a good teacher at the academy. All the students loved him. He seemed happy."

"What do you mean seemed?"

"How can I put this? Sometimes I catch him staring off into space, but the look on his face worries me. It's like he's looking for something, but either can't find it or doesn't know where to look. I want to help him, but I know if I mention something he'll just close up."

"Maybe he doesn't need the kind of help you're thinking of. Maybe he needs to be shown the path. He's lived a dark life Naruto, and sometimes that darkness can hide the path your looking for."

For the next couple hours the pair just sat in silence. Idate wanted Naruto to absorb and understand what he was saying. He believed in Naruto with all his heart. Somehow, he knew Naruto could save Sasuke from anything. He had done it before and he could do it again and again. Idate reached down for his forgotten cup and took a sip. He cringed when the tea hit his tongue; it was ice cold and flat. He took both his cup and Naruto's and walked in toward his kitchen. When he came back Naruto was putting his shoes on.

"Hinata is probably worried about me. Don't expect us to be at dinner, she said she wanted to cook dinner tonight. Oh and thanks for the talk Idate."

* * *

"Why are you so happy?"

When Sasuke got home from training he caught Sakura in the kitchen humming a song. She was also dancing in front of the stove as she stirred whatever it was she was cooking.

"Lee is coming over tonight, he just got back from his mission. Oh and welcome back Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked and walked toward his room. She always welcomed him and Naruto home. Even if they were gone for only a few minutes, she would always say, welcome home. Sasuke took a quick shower before eating dinner. When he walked into the dinning room Sakura was hugging Lee. Sasuke felt like an intruder, so he quietly slipped back into his room. Watching the couple share moments like that made him feel embarrassed.

"Sasuke, dinner."

When Sasuke walked back in, Sakura was in the kitchen and Lee was smiling at him.

"Congratulations Sasuke-kun on making jounin."

"Thank you. Did you make jounin as well?"

Both men sat down as they spoke. Upon hearing Sasuke's question, Lee gave him a good guy pose.

"Actually I was asked to join the Anbu. Neji got asked as well. I'm surprised you didn't get asked."

Sasuke didn't respond to the comment. He knew why he didn't get asked. They still didn't trust him. It angered him slightly that the village didn't trust him enough to join the elite Anbu forces. Being asked to join the Anbu was a privilege only few ever got. Being asked to do S-class missions, and leading a team of fellow Anbu was only reserved for those with the most skill, leadership qualities, respect and trust. He felt he had all those qualities, but apparently not everyone felt that way.

Without saying a word, Sasuke turned and went to his room. Lee turned to Sakura and gave her an apologetic look.

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the mirror making sure his kimono was on right. The lady had fitted him with a black kimono. She said it brought out his eyes and hair. When he first saw it, he was upset. He wanted a bright color. But now that he had it on, he had to admit she was right. Black did suit him. He reached into the box his kimono came in and grabbed the new sandals made specifically for tonight. He walked into the living room and waited for Hinata. She was changing in one of the other bedrooms.

He didn't have to wait long. Naruto watched as Hinata walked toward him. She had her hair tied back in a bun, ornamented with hairpins. Her kimono was white with teal flowers decorating the bottom and the sleeves. Her obi was the same teal as the flowers. Naruto had to remind himself to breath.

"Hinata you look amazing."

Hinata approached Naruto and ran her hands down his shoulders, smoothing out any wrinkles he had. "You look amazing too."

Naruto grabbed one of her hands when it touched his. "Let's go."

They didn't have to walk far. The Sakura Festival was held in a nearby park. People from all over the Tea Country were walking the streets. All of them were dressed for the occasion. Once in the park the couple took a moment to look around. There were stands lining the entrance to the park. Some were food, some were games, and there were even a few street performers. Naruto smiled when he saw a game stand that was giving away frogs. He pointed to it, and Hinata laughed when she saw it.

"I'm going to win _you_ a frog this time."

They walked over to the stand and watched one of the villagers try to win a prize for his girl. The game was simple. Knock the three bottles off the platform. Unfortunately, the villager wasn't able to win his girl a prize. It didn't look like she cared though. Naruto grabbed a few coins and set it down on the counter when the young couple walked away. The stand owner gave Naruto three balls. After winking at Hinata, Naruto threw the first ball. He was able to destroy the pyramid the bottles formed, but wasn't able to knock two of the bottles off the platform. With his next throw he was able to knock both the remaining bottles off the platform.

"Yatta! Hinata which one do you want?"

Hinata looked over all the toy frogs. She paused when she was a small blue frog with an orange chest. She pointed to it. After thanking the man, Naruto and Hinata walked deeper into the park. Hinata squeezed the frog and smiled when she realized how soft it was.

"Do you like your prize?"

"Yes. It reminds me of someone."

Naruto looked away from Hinata and blushed. It wasn't often they said lovey dovey things to each other, much less in public. Hinata spotted a bench just off the paved path and lead Naruto to it.

Hinata sat with her hands in her lap holding the frog, while Naruto sat with one of his arms around her shoulders. For a long time they just sat in silence, enjoying the fall of the petals and how they danced in the wind. Naruto felt like he was in a dream. Peace like this doesn't exist in the real world, it can't.

He wondered if he should ask her now. The moment was perfect. Taking a moment to gather his courage, Naruto removed his arm from around her shoulders and grabbed her hand. Hinata looked from his hands to his face.

"Hinata, I'm happy I was able to share these memories with you."

"I'm happy too Naruto."

"I want to tell you something, and I know I'm going to stumble over my words so don't say anything until I'm done."

Hinata turned her body so she was facing Naruto better and nodded. "Okay."

"You're almost the complete opposite of me. I'm loud and yeah sometimes I'm a little annoying, you're quiet and well mannered. I don't think before I speak sometimes, where as you're soft spoken and say soothing words. You're from a noble family and I'm an orphan. Yet all those things don't really matter when I'm with you. When we first started dating I thought it wouldn't work out because we were so different. Yeah we had some hard times because of it, but you stayed with me. You make me feel things I've never felt before."

Naruto raised the hand not holding Hinata's and cupped her cheek. He rubbed his thumb on her cheek and watched as she closed her eyes and pressed into his hand.

"When I'm with you I feel wanted, needed. Before I was with you I never knew there was something missing. I know now that you were missing. I don't know if you are my other half. I don't know if you complete me. What I do know is that with you I feel more complete then I've ever felt before. I don't want to lose that; I don't want to lose you."

Naruto brushed away a tear from Hinata's cheek. He let go of her hand and reached into his kimono. He pulled out a small box and stood up. She opened her eyes and watched him. He placed the box on the bench, turned and took a few steps away. He couldn't hear her reach over for the box or open it, which made him very nervous. He looked up. The trees blocked out the majority of the sunlight, but they also blocked his view of the sky. From between the branches he could see the bright blue, as well as some sunlight peaking through. Looking over the park, he saw how truly beautiful it all looked, the green grass, the pink petals, the bits of blue sky and the rays of sunlight that peered down. If Hinata was the beauty of the park, Naruto felt he was the sunlight. It didn't overshadow the overall beauty of the park, just made it all the more beautiful. He smiled when he realized how narcissistic the idea was.

He gasped when he felt a pair of arms around his waist. He looked down and could tell by the skin tone it was Hinata. He reached down and grabbed her hands. He stopped when he felt it. She was wearing the ring.

"Hinata, do you know what I didn't have the courage to ask you?"

"Yes."

He turned in her arms to face her. As soon as he was face to face with her she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. When she finally pulled away he could see fresh tears in her eyes.

"You accept?"

"A million times yes."

A cloud must have moved out of the way of the sun, because at that moment the entire park got brighter. As Naruto leaned forward to kiss her again he thought that maybe she was the sunlight to his park.

The rest of the afternoon, Naruto and Hinata spent on that small park bench. Naruto told her that he wanted to wait until they both turned 18 before getting married. That left them with a little less than two years to plan the whole wedding. They talked about what kind of wedding they wanted, whom they wanted to invite, what food they should have. Well Naruto talked about the food. When Hinata mentioned she was going to be Uzumaki Hinata, Naruto shook his head.

"Don't change your name."

"Why not?"

"Keep the Hyuuga name. You're going to be head of the clan, and besides the Hyuuga name is more respected than the Uzumaki name."

"Naruto I'm not ashamed of you. And your name carries just as much respect as mine does."

"Hinata, please. Keep your name." Naruto sighed when he saw the look Hinata gave him. It was the classic Hyuuga glare, the one Neji regularly had on his face. Naruto knew Hinata wasn't going to back down. "Okay how about this, for all public purposes you'll be Hyuuga Hinata, but for private matters you'll be Uzumaki Hinata."

"No I don't like that idea. I will have one name and it will be Uzumaki Hinata."

Naruto was about to say something when he heard screaming. Both he and Hinata turned to see the people fleeing the park. Hinata instantly activated her **Byakugan**.

"They're being chased by nins. I can't tell what village their from though. There are about fifty of them."

Naruto reached down and ripped the bottom of his kimono so he could freely move his legs. He helped Hinata do the same when she reached down. Hinata moved to run toward the nins when Naruto grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Go to the village and get the villagers out. I'll take care of them."

"Naruto you can't stop fifty men, let me help you."

"Hinata please. I won't be able to fight if I'm worried about you and the villagers. I'll be fine." When Hinata hesitated, Naruto pulled her back and hugged her. "Please, go."

He didn't wait for a response. He let her go and took off running toward the direction of the nins. Hinata turned and ran toward the village. She would have to trust Naruto to come back to her. Fingering her ring she ran faster. The village was in total chaos. Men were running toward the park, women were gathering the children. She spotted Idate and ran to him.

"Idate!"

"Hinata, where's Naruto?"

"He's holding the nins back."

"By himself! Is he insane."

"Look, where can I take the villagers to make sure they're safe?"

"There's a cave in one of the cliffs on the beach." Idate turned and called for one of the members of the clan. "Help Hinata take the villagers to the cave."

The pair quickly began gathering all the women and children. Hinata would run up to building and quickly scan them to make sure no one was inside. She could hear the battle raging on, and at times she felt a high surge of chakra coming from the park. She knew it was Naruto's chakra, no one else's chakra felt that way. It gave her little comfort though. If he had to use so much power he must be desperate. The faster the villagers were out of harms way the faster she could help Naruto.

Once all the women and children were safe inside the cave, Hinata did a quick scan to make sure everyone was all right. She turned and was about to run out of the cave when Idate and a few of his men ran in. They had left the village to help Naruto fight.

"Where's Naruto?"

"He forced us to leave."

Hinata moved past them and stopped dead in her tracks. She stopped breathing when she felt the huge surge of chakra. Even some of the villagers gasped. Quickly regaining her composure Hinata ran toward the park. As she got closer to the park there was evidence of a battle. Some of the buildings were on fire, trees were toppled over and the ground was covered in battle scars. She entered the park and ran toward the source of chakra. As she got closer she could see a clearing, which was probably created when the battle began. When she reached the edge of the clearing she slipped and fell. She almost screamed at what she saw.

* * *

After quickly leaving Hinata, Naruto ran toward the nins. He encountered a group of three. All three were armed with katanas. Quickly disarming and killing one of the nins, Naruto took his katana and killed the other two. He strapped one of the katana's to his back and took the other two with him, holding one in each hand. He quickly ran around and killed every nin he encountered. He soon noticed that the nins were surrounding him. He ran into a small clearing in the park and bit his thumb. After running through seals he slammed his hand on the ground. The smoke hadn't cleared before Naruto was once again fighting some nins off.

"Oye! What the hell is going on?"

Naruto knew by the voice it was Gamakichi. Naruto turned and moved toward the frog, who was currently throwing nins around with his tongue. He turned and looked at the frog the first moment he had. Gamakichi was now up to Naruto's waist, the perfect size for the assignment Naruto was going to give him.

"I need you to go to Konoha and tell Tsunade what's going on. Tell her the Tea Country is being attacked by…" Naruto scanned the bodies lying on the ground. He kicked the one closest to him over to look at his forehead protector. "…the Sound. Damnit. Go now as fast as you can!"

Without a word Gamakichi jumped out of the clearing and was gone. It would take him at least an hour to get to Konoha. He was the fastest frog Naruto had. That one moment Naruto spent watching Gamakichi run off was cut short when he felt a kunai dig into his calf. He reached down to take it out, but stopped when he was kicked. From the ground, Naruto looked up and saw that he was surrounded. From behind the nins surrounding him he saw Idate and a few of his men fighting.

"Idate, get out of here!"

Naruto saw Idate turn and look at him. Naruto cursed when Idate shook his head and went back to fighting. The nins were quickly overpowering Idate and his men. The men surrounding Naruto were also moving in. Naruto knew he had no choice; he would have to use the Kyuubi. Quickly calling upon the Kyuubi, Naruto went through seals faster then he knew possible and created a handful of clones. The clones ran toward Idate and his men, grabbed them forcefully and ran off with them. With Idate gone Naruto could concentrate on the nins before him.

"Who would have thought we'd run into the demon of Konoha."

Naruto turned to look at the nin who had spoken. When his eyes fell on him the nin smiled. He reached into one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out a teal obi. There was blood splattered on it.

"You know the girl we took this from begged for her life "

Naruto didn't hear what else the nin said. The obi, it was the same one Hinata had on. He couldn't remember seeing another girl wearing a teal obi. The obi went for teal to red because that was all Naruto saw. Red. With a force he had only used once before Naruto sent out a huge pulse of chakra. More then half of the nins fell to the ground, a few actually died from the sheer force. No one was prepared for what Naruto did next. He went from nin to nin and literally tore them to shreds with is claws.

One thought ran through his mind: Hinata.

They had taken her away. She was gone, gone forever. After the last nin was dead Naruto simply stood in the middle of the clearing. He was covered in blood. His face, hair, clothes all red. His hands dripped with the blood. Tilting his head back he silently cried. That's when he heard a noise behind him. He quickly turned thinking it was another nin. What he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Hinata was on the ground, having slipped on a puddle of blood. She had a look of pure horror on her face as she stared at Naruto. But he didn't care because she was alive. He pushed down the Kyuubi chakra and fell to his knees from fatigue.

"Are you okay Hinata? Did that hurt you?" Naruto could see that Hinata was breathing heavily. It was probably a combination of running and shock. Heck he was shocked now that he took a good look at the clearing. "Hinata?"

"I'm fine."

"I thought they hurt you. One of the nins had a teal obi. He said he killed the girl."

Hinata quickly looked down. She still had her obi on. She looked back to Naruto. He had a look of relief and guilt. Relief from knowing Hinata was alive, and guilt because of it. If she was alive that meant someone else had died.

"I sent one of my frogs to Konoha. He should get there soon."

Hinata slowly stood and walked to Naruto. She pulled up the shredded remains of her kimono as she stepped over bodies and puddles. When she got close to Naruto she stopped. She didn't know if she should hug him, clean him off or run.

"Are the villagers okay?"

"Yes. They're hiding in a cave on the beach."

Naruto nodded. He had to stay awake long enough for Gamakichi to reach Tsunade. If he passed out Gamakichi would be dispelled.

"Hinata, I need to get rid of the bodies before the villagers see them."

Naruto slowly stood and reached for the feet of the body closet to him. A hand stopped him though.

"At least let me help you do this."

Naruto nodded. Between the two of them they piled all the bodies in the center of the clearing. Naruto made sure to take one of the nins forehead protectors before moving back. Using what little chakra he had left he made a huge fireball, setting all the bodies on fire. As soon as the pile of bodies caught on fire, Naruto passed out.

* * *

Gamakichi made it to Konoha in record time. He knew the situation he had left Naruto in was bad. He could tell just by the way he looked. As he jumped through the gates a few of the Konoha nins tried to stop him. But he paid them no mind. He went straight to the Hokage Tower and jumped in through the window, breaking it in the process.

Tsunade jumped back from her desk. She was having a conversation with Sakura when suddenly a huge red frog broke through her window. Sakura was the first to recover.

"Gamakichi?"

"Sakura-san. Tsunade, Naruto sent me. The Tea Country is being attacked by the Sound."

By this point all the nins chasing the frog, as well as those close enough to hear the commotion had entered her office. Tsunade ignored them all though.

"Are you sure of this?"

"Yes. When I left he was fighting them all. I think he was planning on using it to stop them."

"How many were there?"

"Less then fifty."

Tsunade quickly digested the information. Fifty nins could be devastating for a place like the Tea Country. Everyone who lived in the Tea Country were peasants and farmers.

"Where was Hinata?"

"I don't know."

"Find Kakashi!" Tsunade ordered no one in particular but she knew someone would take off. She returned her attention to Sakura who was walking out the door. "Where are you going?"

"To get a pack ready."

Tsunade sighed heavily. Of course Sakura would want to go. She also had no doubt Sasuke would hear about this soon and would want to go. "Sakura, get one of your medical nins to go with you just in case."

Sakura nodded and ran out. Tsunade watched the frog walk around her office. He seemed nervous, which made her nervous. The frogs were usually calm and collective. "Someone bring me Shikamaru, and Shino!"

Tsunade opened a drawer, and pulled out a blank scroll. Just as she was about to write in it, Kakashi and Sasuke entered her office. They both already had their packs.

"There was an attack on the village Naruto is staying at."

"How do you know?"

Tsunade pointed to the frog that was standing in the corner behind the two.

"Hey I remember you two. The lazy sensei and the bastard."

The comment would have normally made Kakashi and Tsunade laugh had the situation not been so tense. Things had to have been bad for Naruto to send a frog.

"I'm going to be sending you two, Sakura, one other medial nin and Shino. I want you to –"

Tsunade stopped mid sentence when the frog suddenly disappeared in a poof of smoke. She turned to Kakashi, who in turn looked at her. They both knew what it meant when a summons disappeared. Either Naruto dispelled it of his own free will, passed out or died.

"Maybe it would be best if you two left now."

* * *

Well apparently not a lot of you liked my last chapter. Sorry, all I can say is that there is a purpose to my madness.

I know bloody chapter. My beta is gonna be mad. I kinda changed things around from the last time I talked to her. But oh well.

Let's see the chapter style was a bit weird I know. But I figured everyone would get bored reading only about Naruto and Hinata. Besides this way seemed a little more interesting. I hope I didn't confuse anyone. I will try never to write a chapter this way ever again.

WHOO HOO FOR FROGS! I love Gamakichi, he's just too funny. I figured the frogs would know who Team 7 is, since during the Sannin fight Gamabunta knew who Orochimaru, and Tsunade were.

Oh and for all those who are curious here's a link to a crash course on kimono's.

http :www. japanesekimono. com /index. htm

**I didn't answer any of the reviews in the last chapter. But I took the time and answered everyone's review. I'll try not to skip reviews next time. **

**FF Reviews**

**Da Squeakz** – I will write more, and you're welcome.

**Donut-Nin** – Love the SN by the way. Well sorry to say the academy days are over. Please don't hurt me :hides:

**Shinobi36** – I thought long and hard about Orochimaru. When you think about it there will always be two sides to a coin and to many Orochimaru has to be a good guy otherwise he wouldn't have a village to abuse. About their age and relationships. My take is that these characters are forced to grow up FAST. If at the age of 12-13 you're being trained to kill, you should have the mental capacity to have a relationship. Think about it, how many old ninja's are there? I can count them on one hand. Life is short for a ninja, let them have their fun.

**Nonengel** – Thanks for your comments about the Sound Village. To be honest I'm kinda rethinking the character death. My list was pretty long on how many were gonna die, but recently it's gone down…….a lot.

**Aikuchi Shikakau** – I plan on having the Akasuki in my fic. To be honest I'm kinda waiting to see what the manga does with them since they're revealing so much.

**Timeshifter** – Thanks!

**Crazy-antman** – Thanks for the support. What are you an ero-jounin or an antman?

**Gaara the Sandwarrior** – Better to be addicted to fanfic than drugs right? Right…..

**Pale Rider** – Sorry you aren't a big Naru/Hina fan. I took your review very seriously, which is kinda why it took me so long to write the next chapter. I tried to answer some of your questions, because they were good and valid things to ask. To be honest, your review kinda pushed me back on track. As for the skip in the year, I really couldn't think of anything worth while to put there. There are so many other things I wanted to do, and that one year was kinda holding me back. In the future I'm gonna try to be more ambiguous when it comes to time. Thanks for the review, and I hope you stick around.

**AFF Reviews**

**Dementa** – LOL! I've stayed up that late before to read fics. Thanks and I hope Sizzle liked it as well.

**Joann** – I WILL!

**Chelsey** – I agree warm and fuzzy is good. Angst is good and all, but sometimes warm and fuzzy is nice too. If you like my warm and fuzzy you should read my one shot. I know shamless plug.

**Yami Jay** – your feelings about Kabuto keep changing, and I like that. ME EVIL!

**LeaD** – WOW you actually logged in to review. Thanks for adding me, and I hope you do come back :gives big smile:

**Saico** – Thanks for the comments. As for Naruto's relationship with Sakura, it was more of a "I feel alone, you feel alone, lets see if together we can make it go away." With Hinata it's different. They're relationship is based on feelings for each other, not a need to make other feelings go away. I don't know if that makes any sense. :runs:

**Akumariver** – Thanksa!

**Rasen** – Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

**CyBorian** – Thanks and why are you showing me your fangs:hides:

**Elisa Ardell** – Seriously do you want me to fall over from an enlarged ego? If you think this is the greatest fic ever, we must talk because obviously you haven't seen what's out there. Trust me you would explode.

Remember to leave flames, comments, and whatever else you wanna give me.


	16. Truths

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. If I did there would be a naked Kakashi in every other scene.**

**Chapter 16: Truths**

* * *

Tsunade didn't need to tell Kakashi and Sasuke twice. As soon as she was done giving them instructions they were gone. The two of them traveled alone. Sakura, her medical nin, and Shino would have to catch up later. Tsunade told them she was going to send Shikamaru to the Sand to gather information there.

Even though the two of them covered a lot of land, they were forced to camp out for the night. With all that was going on night travel was dangerous. Even though they both wanted to keep going, they stopped. Sleep was light and uneasy that night. As soon as they heard bird a chirping that morning they were off again. They arrived in the Tea Country before noon.

When they arrived the village was full of activity. There were people repairing roofs, fences, streets, landscaping, everything. Everyone was pitching in and helping. From what Kakashi could tell there were few injuries. Sending two medical nins was going to be too much. As they walked they looked for Idate. Sasuke spotted him first. Idate was shirtless and on a roof. The pair approached the house.

"Idate-san."

Idate looked up at the sound of Kakashi's voice. He looks relieved to see them. As he climbed down from the roof, Kakashi could see that even after one day the attack was already wearing Idate down.

"Kakashi-san, Sasuke. I'm glad you're here." Idate started to lead them toward the Wasabi compound.

"Where are Naruto and Hinata?" Sasuke desperately wanted to see Naruto, not that he would let anyone know. He wanted to strangle the idiot for worrying everyone. But when Idate stopped walking Sasuke got worried.

"Let's go somewhere private."

Unbeknownst to Kakashi and Sasuke, Idate led them to the house Naruto was staying at. But he didn't tell them that. When they walked in he led them to the living room. Idate waited until everyone was sitting down before saying anything.

"Where should I begin?"

Kakashi took the initiative. Although he wasn't going to interrogate Idate, he needed to get as much information out of him as possible. "When did the Sound nins attack?"

"We were in the middle of our festival, so about midday. They came in from the park. A few made it to the village, that's why some of the houses are destroyed. Hinata helped the villagers escape to the caves."

Idate paused, once again not sure how to continue. As the pause draged on Sasuke became impatient. "What about Naruto?"

"He stayed in the park and held them back. The nins who were in the village left when they sensed him. I got a few men and went to help him. He was injured when I got there. He asked me to leave, but I didn't. He created some clones and had them carry us away. We went to the cave and Hinata left. We waited a long time for some sign. We finally came out when we saw Hinata in the ocean washing Naruto."

Kakashi took a moment to dissect what Idate had said. "What happened during the time you left and saw Hinata in the ocean?"

"I don't know. They won't tell us. All I know is that we felt a huge surge of power and the clearing where I last saw Naruto fight is burned and the bodies are gone."

Both Sasuke and Kakashi knew that Naruto and Hinata disposed of the bodies. There was no point in asking Idate anymore questions since he didn't know the important details. "Where are Naruto and Hinata?"

Idate sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. This is where things got complicated. "Hinata is at the beach. She hasn't come to see Naruto. She only enters the village to eat, and that's only after we force her. Naruto is down the hall, last room."

Without saying a word Sasuke got up and walked toward the hallway. When he opened the door the room was dark, even though it was sunny outside. Naruto was sitting on the bed with his back against the headboard. He has no shirt on, and loose pajama pants on. His long hair was covering his face and he was looking down.

Sasuke closed the door behind him as he walked in. He sat on the edge of the bed at an angle so he was face to face with Naruto. He noticed that Naruto hadn't moved or acknowledged his presence.

"Where is your injury?"

Wordlessly Naruto pulled his pant leg up and shifted so that Sasuke could see his calf. Sasuke could see the wound was healing slower than usual, meaning Naruto must be short on chakra. After a few moments, Naruto lowered the pant leg and drew his knees to his chest. He wrapped his arms loosely around his legs.

Sasuke was getting increasingly frustrated. This is not the Naruto he knew. No matter how hard a mission may have been, Naruto always said something. But this time he was completely silent and that scared Sasuke. Sasuke was about to say something when Kakashi opened the door and walked in with Idate right behind him. Kakashi took a moment to study Naruto.

"Has he eaten?"

"Yes. I bring him his meals."

"Was Hinata injured?"

At the mention of her name, Naruto pulled his legs closer. The movement didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke or Kakashi.

"No, she wasn't injured."

The room remained silent. Idate sensed that Kakashi has no more questions for him, so he left. Kakashi stayed in the room a little longer, but left only when Sasuke gave him a pointed stare.

As soon as Kakashi shut the door Sasuke turned his attention back to Naruto.

"How are you and Hinata doing?"

Once again Sasuke's question is answered with silence. Without hesitation Sasuke jumped up on the bed and grabbed Naruto by his shoulders.

"Say something, anything. Tell me to go away! Call me a bastard! Come on dobe say something!"

"She hasn't come to see me since it happened." If Sasuke breathed any louder he wouldn't have been able to hear Naruto.

"Why? Naruto what happened out there?"

"I tore them to shreds. I thought they had killed her so I ripped them to pieces with my hands." Sasuke stared down at Naruto completely speechless. He watched as Naruto raised his hands and stared at them. "There was so much blood. She was so scared. I don't blame her for avoiding me though."

"That's no excuse. I know what you did, but I'm not avoiding you, nor will I ever."

"You weren't there though. You didn't see it."

"I don't have to see it. Naruto, you could have ripped their hearts out and eaten them and I still wouldn't care." Sasuke waited for Naruto to say something or do something. But Naruto just sat there. So instead of trying to talk some sense into Naruto, Sasuke got up and stormed out of the house. He heard Kakashi and Idate calling out to him but he ignores them.

It doesn't take Sasuke very long to find Hinata on the beach. She was just sitting on the shore with her knees to her chest looking out onto the water. For a split second he felt sorry for her, but only for a second. He walked up to her and stood next to her.

"How could you?"

Hinata continued to look out at the water, but he knew she can probably see the look on his face. "I can see you want to hit me. Go ahead, but it won't fix anything." She spoke softly, which only fueled Sasuke's anger even more.

"Do you even know what you're doing to him?"

"Yes, and I hate myself for it."

By this point Sasuke was beside himself with anger. He could feel his Sharingan trying to activate due to the sheer force of his anger. The only thing keeping him from beating the crap out of her was Naruto. "Why won't you go?"

Hinata seemed oblivious to the anger rolling off of Sasuke. But she knew he was mad. Hell the sand knew he was mad. "Because I don't know what to say. I'm not going to leave him, I love him too much for that. I'm just scared and confused about what to do."

Losing his composure, Sasuke began to openly yell at Hinata. "What the hell are you talking about? You obviously have no idea what he's go—"

Hinata was standing before him so suddenly that the shock left him speechless. As he looked at her he could see she was upset. He could see tears in her eyes as well. "Don't you dare say I know nothing. I may not have the kind of relationship you do with him, but don't assume you know anything about my relationship with him. I know what I'm doing hurts him and it kills me. But I'm scared I'll go in there and say the wrong thing and make it worse." Hinata was now openly crying. Sasuke was completely taken aback by this. He was never good with emotions, much less the emotions of someone he wasn't really all that close too. But he stood there and listened to her. "I'm scared, not of him, but of what he's capable of doing. He killed those men because of me. He thought I was dead so he killed them. He's the perfect ninja with power beyond me and it scares me that I can't help him. I can't help him get over his guilt because of me. Everything he's going through is because of me. So don't you dare tell me I don't know what I'm doing to him."

Sasuke didn't get a chance to say anything to her because as soon as she was done she walked right past him. He turned and watched her walk down the beach. It wasn't until she was just a small speck that he turned to walk back to the village. Yet when he turned he saw that Kakashi was standing a few feet away looking rather bored. Sasuke knew better than to think that Kakashi was bored. But Sasuke wasn't in the mood to talk to Kakashi so he just kept walking toward the village.

"Women are complicated creatures. Sasuke go help Idate and keep a look out for Sakura, she should be getting here soon."

Sasuke grunted and stormed off even more frustrated than before.

* * *

After Sasuke left, Idate brought Naruto some food to eat. Naruto ate the food slowly. He found that if he ate too quickly his stomach would get upset. When he was finally done he put the empty dishes on the small nightstand. He was about to lie down and sleep when Kakashi walked in and sat down at the foot of the bed. By his demeanor Naruto knew that Kakashi was going to be serious.

"How are you feeling physically?"

"Strange actually." Naruto didn't want to play the vague game with Kakashi. Their conversations were usually full with innuendos. No matter how serious the topic was neither one of them ever straight out said what was on their mind, they would just dance around the issue. It was a game to them; see who can say the most without actually saying it. But this time Naruto didn't want to play.

"How so?"

"How can I put this? After waking up I felt like I had more power at my disposal. I know it's because I let the Kyuubi take over. But I haven't started changing physically."

"You think you will?"

"I hope not. But when the Kyuubi takes over I do. I know you haven't seen it, but my nails get long and sharp, I run on all fours. I've been told my eyes go red and cat like. The marks on my face also get darker and larger."

"You basically look like the animal." Kakashi instantly regretted putting it that way when Naruto flinched. "Sorry I should have used different terminology."

"Ero-sennin told me that the seal allows me to tap into the other chakra. But that eventually I might merge with it and completely take it over."

"You scared of that?" Naruto had to think about the question before he answered it. No longer having the Kyuubi within him meant that the Akatsuki would leave him alone, which was a good thing. But then again absorbing the Kyuubi meant that many in the village might start seeing him as a demon, or half-demon. Ignoring what others might think of him, Naruto thought about how he felt over the whole thing. There was one emotion he kept coming back to no matter how he looked at it, and it was fear.

"I don't know if I'll change or how long the whole process will take. I also don't know if using the chakra accelerates the process. If I grow old and still have the Kyuubi intact within me, that would be great."

"Don't worry too much. Sakura is coming and she can check you over if you want."

Naruto instantly felt better. If Kakashi didn't make a big deal out of the whole thing that meant everything was going to be okay. He knew that Kakashi's laid-back attitude hid his bluntness well. But that was one of the good things about Kakashi; in serious situations he would tell you exactly what he thought without pulling any punches.

Kakashi stayed with Naruto for a while. They comfortably fell back into their vague game. Although what Naruto told him worried him a bit, Kakashi was more worried about Naruto's emotional state than his physical one. He knew Hinata needed to come see Naruto, but after hearing what she told Sasuke he decided to wait and see what she did. As they talked Naruto stood up and reached to grab the dishes on the nightstand. Kakashi stopped him and grabbed the dishes himself, smiling the entire time.

"Fine, I'll go to the bathroom instead."

They both walked out of the bedroom, but turned in opposite directions once in the hall. Kakashi was about to start washing the dishes when Sasuke walked in.

"Kakashi, Sakura's here."

The words were barely out of his mouth when he was roughly pushed aside by a near frantic Sakura. Behind her Kakashi could see one of her medical nins and Shino.

"Sorry we weren't here sooner. We had to camp out last night."

"Don't worry, we did as well." Kakashi smiled at her hoping to calm her down.

"Where is he?" Unfortunately he failed in calming her. "Sasuke said he was injured."

Kakashi never got a chance to answer because Naruto beat him to it.

"Sakura?"

Sakura turned at the sound of her name to see Naruto standing at the mouth of the hallway. She quickly glanced over his body and saw that he didn't have any obvious injuries. Satisfied that he wasn't near death she ran to him.

"Oh god Naruto. I was so worried about you." She cried on his shoulder for a few moments. Suddenly she pushed him back and punched him, sending Naruto to the floor. "Are you an idiot taking on fifty nins by yourself?"

Naruto reached up and touched his cheek. Looking at Sakura he saw that she was still crying.

"Sorry Sakura."

"Ma ma, don't hurt an injured man Sakura."

With help from Sasuke, Naruto was able to get up. As he was getting up Sakura turned and told the medic nin to go to the village and see if anyone was hurt. Once the nin was gone everyone moved toward the kitchen table.

As Shino went to sit down he paused and looked to Sasuke, Kakashi and Naruto. "Where's Hinata?"

Naruto froze upon hearing her name. Sasuke immediately answered that she was at the beach. Shino decided not to press the issue upon seeing Naruto's reaction to her name.

"So Sakura, did the Hokage send you with news?" Kakashi was once again in his serious mode. Naruto silently thanked him for diverting the attention to some other topic.

"She sent Shikamaru to the Sand to see if they could get some information. But other than that we know nothing."

Kakashi digested the information for a moment before turning his attention to Naruto. "Naruto, did any of the nins say anything to you?"

"If you're referring to information about why they attacked, then no. But they did know who I was."

Sasuke scoffed at Naruto's answer, drawing attention to himself. "Well you are pretty well known Naruto."

Naruto spoke as he shook his head, "No I meant they knew." Naruto wanted to be vague since Shino was in the room. He hoped that all his former teammates would pick up on the hint.

Sakura instantly became worried. "Do you think Kabuto sent them?"

Although she didn't direct her question at anyone in particular, Kakashi answered it for her. "I don't know. The Tea shouldn't interest Kabuto. They pose no threat, and he would gain nothing by invading."

"Do you think they did it to provoke us?" Shino's voice didn't betray his anxiety over the whole thing. He didn't like the fact that the Sound attacked the Tea, or that Hinata was here when it happened. He also didn't like how the Sound apparently knew some secret about Naruto that as it seemed to him no one was supposed to know.

"They knew Naruto was here, so what better way to provoke Konoha then to attack someone with friends in high places and the next head of a clan." Sasuke was now leaning forward with his elbows rested on the table. The more he thought about why the Sound would attack, the more confused he became. Attacking the Sound was not something Kabuto would do. Kabuto liked to get in through the back door, take what he wanted and leave before anyone knew he was there.

Unlike Sasuke, Naruto wasn't thinking about how out of character the attack was for the Sound. He was just frustrated that they couldn't figure the whole thing out. "But why would they want the Leaf to attack them?"

"Revenge."

Everyone at the table turned to see Hinata standing in the doorway. Although everyone is looking at her, she was looking at only one person: Naruto. Sakura and Shino instantly picked up on the uncomfortable vibe between the two. Hinata walked toward the table and instead of sitting next to Naruto, she sat next to Shino.

"Please explain Hinata." Kakashi knew that the faster he got his answers the faster Naruto and Hinata could work out their problems.

"That rogue nin that has been around Konoha lately, I had a feeling that I had seen him before. After the attack I spent a lot of time thinking and he kept coming to mind." She paused and looked at Shino. "Remember how I told you that during the second part of the chuunin exam a strange nin interfered with our battle?"

"Yes I remember." On the assumption that no one else knows the story Shino takes it upon himself to inform everyone. "Hinata, Kiba and Choji were fighting a team and this nin in all black joined in the fight. He wasn't from the other team though."

Hinata turned back to face the group, except she kept her gaze on the tabletop. "He was fighting against both sides. I was in the middle of my fight when I sensed him coming. So while holding kunai I spun and hit him."

Kakashi instantly knew what Hinata was trying to imply. "You took his arm." With that everyone at the table suddenly knew who Hinata was talking about. One armed nins are rare.

"I wasn't sure. There was a lot of blood, but no arm. But since his team knew something about healing it could have been removed afterward."

"Why didn't you say anything before? You shouldn't withhold information, especially when it's something as important as this." Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto could tell my Kakashi's tone that he was in full jounin mode. It was rare for Kakashi to take that tone, but when he did it only meant trouble.

"I just realized today. But it's all speculation. I never saw the nin's face since he was covered."

Without looking at Hinata, Naruto said, "It had to be him. The question is would Kabuto break the deal with the Leaf over revenge?"

This time no one answered the question.

* * *

Roiyaru entered the Sound compound hoping that no one would notice him. As he walked through the long dark hallways, his anxiety started to disappear when no one confronted him. As he turned a corner he sees Ryo and Hibiki standing next his room. When they see him, Ryo is instantly running up to him.

"Where have you been?'

"Out."

"Out where Yaru-kun?"

"Just out." Roiyaru pushed past Ryo and went to open the door to his room. He stoped when Ryo started talking again.

"Kabuto-sensei said we're short 50 men. Do you happen to know what happened to them?'

"No, I don't."

Without another word Ryo walked away and Roiyaru walked into his room. As Roiyaru began to shut his door though Hibiki pushed it open and walked in.

"Hibiki what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Hibiki shuts the door behind him and punched Roiyaru without warning. The entire time Hibiki kept his face void of emotion. "I don't care if you lie to me or Kabuto-sensei. What I do care is when you lie to Ryo. We know you went somewhere with those missing nins, it's only a matter of time before we learn where."

Roiyaru stared coldly at Hibiki before finally getting up. He walked over his small dresser. There was a mirror nailed to the wall above the dresser. On the dresser were a few weapons and one personal item; a picture of his team when they were ten and still scar free.

Roiyaru checked his face in the mirror only to see he had a bloody lip and small cut on the opposite side of his face where he hit the ground. He opened one of his drawers and pulled out a small medical kit. Opening the kit he pulled out a tube of cream medicine. He struggled with the tube as he tried to open it with one hand. When Hibiki walked over and tried to take it from him Roiyaru pulled it back and continued to struggle with it, but he only managed to drop it.

Silently Hibiki bent over to pick up the tube. Roiyaru watched Hibiki bent over, and it's at that moment that all his frustration boils over. He reached over grabbed the medical kit and threw it across the room.

"What would you have me do Hibiki? I used to be one of the best ninjas in the village. The pride and joy of Kabuto, his own private student. You know he used to tell me that I would succeed him, that I fit my name. But as soon as I lost my arm I was no longer needed. He doesn't even talk to me anymore. My career as a ninja is over."

"That's not true."

Even though Roiyaru couldn't see any emotion in Hibiki's face, he could tell by the tone of his voice that Hibiki was trying to sympathize with him. "Ryo spent the last year trying to teach me how to do one handed seals. In that one year all I've learned is how to do the most elementary jutsus. You've tried to teach me how to wield a sword with no avail. I can't even open a simple tube of cream without help!"

"Roiyaru…"

"Kabuto said so himself, the Sound must become strong. I'm no longer a part of that plan."

"But you can benefit the Sound in so many other ways. You have amazing leadership skills and are a good military strategist."

Roiyaru was about to reply when he heard Ryo's voice outside his door. He couldn't decipher what Ryo was saying, but he could tell that Ryo was in a panic. Seconds later the door flew open and Ryo was pushed aside. Kabuto walked in the room and went straight toward Roiyaru. As soon as Kabuto was within reach he slapped Roiyaru across the face.

"Are you insane! Are you trying to bring the down the Sound!"

"No." Roiyaru couldn't remember Kabuto ever hitting him, much less yelling at him with such anger and animosity in his voice. It made him feel like a child, which only made him feel even more useless.

"Well it sure seems like it from that stunt you pulled. Oh yes I know what you did. You attacked the Tea, why?"

"Because the person who forced me out of your favor was there." He was rewarded with another slap on the face.

"My shinobi aren't here to do your own private affairs."

"My private affairs would have been taken care of had the demon of Konoha not been there." Another slap, this time Kabuto split the other side of Roiyaru lip.

"Naruto-kun was there, you truly are an idiot."

"Kabuto-sensei, but I –"

Kabuto slapped him again sending Roiyaru to the ground. "Don't address me so casually."

As Kabuto threw his arm back to hit Roiyaru again, Ryo grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Stop sensei, please."

Kabuto looked from Ryo to Roiyaru on the ground. "Being loyal toward me is not enough. You will pay for the trouble you have caused." Kabuto pushed Ryo off and walked out of the room as if nothing had happened.

Ryo picked up Roiyaru from the ground, as Hibiki went to the other end of the room and picked up the items from the medical kit. Ryo maneuvered Roiyaru into a chair, shut the door to the bedroom and helped Hibiki with the remaining items from the medical items. The entire time no one made a single sound. As Ryo and Hibiki moved to tend to Roiyaru wounds, Roiyaru finally broke the silence.

"My time in the Sound has come to an end."

* * *

**Roiyaru** – means loyal

* * *

Wow do I have a lot of dialogue in this chapter. Didn't mean for that to happen, but then again the talking kinda expressed what the person was feeling. Speaking of which I freakn' gave Hinata a whole senior thesis to tell Sasuke. Then again, when someone is pissed, hurt, sad and frustrated they do tend to say a lot in one breath.

Anywho I took a perspective in this chapter I hadn't taken before: Kakashi! WhooHOO! If you hadn't figured it out already he's my fave.

So what does everyone think of Roiyaru? You gotta feel bad for the guy.

Okay so this chapter is kinda short, live with it. Got lots of school and laundry to do. I swear the next chapter won't be as short…………..maybe.

**FF Reviews**

Donut-Nin – Thanks for the comment on his proposal. I honestly think that if they ever do get together they would be the cutest couple EVER!

HikaruOfDreams – Thanks!

Patch5129 – LOL! Yes the life of a shinobi is quite a roller coaster ride.

Crazy-antman – You know now that I think about it I never did say they took off their sandals/slippers before they engages in battle. Let's just assume they did. Also it didn't occur to me that Naruto could have just squished them all until later. Then again he might have hurt someone. Besides I like Gamakichi better.

Aikuchi Shikaku – I'm fine thanks for asking. Yeah the manga chapters have been getting really good lately. :shakes with anticipation:

Nonengel – Thanks for the comments on the arrangement style, the proposal and the talks. I don't think this chapter was as good as my last, but hopefully my next chapter will be better.

Animefreak-shinobi - :laughs: Thanks

TimeShifter – Yeah Hinata knows. Although I never said he told her, well I did in my notes but I never wrote that conversation, but he did tell her. He wouldn't propose to her if she didn't know about it, that would just be cruel.

TheSunshineGirls – Thanks, and quick question how many sunshine girls are there?

Shinobi36 – Using the Kyuubi as a household item would be like dressing up to go make toast. I called it the Sakura Festival because everyone went to go see the Sakura flowers. You know cherry blossoms. Oh and about their age, there are a lot of aspects of their life where they are forced to be mature. When you can die tomorrow, best to enjoy today. So why not sleep in the same bed as your significant other, and then go and bug the hell out of your roommates.

**AFF Reviews**

Yami Jay – For some sadistic reason whenever I write Kabuto I think of you and how I can totally confuse you once again. I know me evil. :)

JBrock – I do have a tendency to switch tenses a lot. My beta hates me for it. Another thing I do a lot is saying things like "so then the Naruto jumped". About the lemons, I don't know. If I do write one I want to be because it totally fits the moment. I think I'll probably write a lime here and there though. Not sure yet.


	17. Resolutions and Revelations

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, although I must say the movie owned!**

**Spoilers: none that I can think of.**

**Chapter 17: Resolutions and Revelations **

* * *

After one of the most uncomfortable meetings Naruto had ever had, he was somewhat grateful when Kakashi ordered him back in bed for the rest of the day. Although he would have preferred to help out around the village, he followed Kakashi's orders. He spent most of his time thinking about Hinata, and how she avoided him. Slowly Naruto became more and more depressed. When Sasuke and Sakura came to talk to him, he welcomed the interruption. 

Naruto listened as his two teammates recounted their day to him. Sakura mentioned that her medical nin wasn't that busy. Most of the injuries he treated had occurred after the attack as people tried to rebuild. Naruto laughed at Sakura when she said that she spent the whole day moving heavy debris.

Sasuke spent the day patrolling the village perimeters with Shino. They didn't encounter anyone of any importance, but they did find tracks that confirmed the nins that attacked came from the direction of the Sound.

"What did Hinata do today?" Naruto didn't like the looks on their faces. He could tell that Sakura and Sasuke were silently exchanging information with their glances. "Did something happen to her?"

When Sakura turned to look at Naruto, he only got more worried. She rarely looked at him with eyes of pity, and it scared him. "She got reprimanded by Kakashi. It was really bad."

"Naruto, Kakashi was really worried about you two. I don't think he slept at all the night we spent in the forest. It just all came to a head today during the meeting." Sasuke wasn't sure how Naruto would react upon hearing Hinata was yelled at. But he understood why Kakashi did what he did. Sasuke would have done the same if he were in Kakashi's shoes.

"I understand. I don't want to leave the village until I'm sure everything is okay." Sakura and Sasuke nodded in agreement. That seemed to signal the end of the conversation, so Sakura got up and decided to check how Naruto's leg was doing. Sasuke stayed in the room and silently watched. Just as she finished Idate knocked on the door and announced that dinner was ready.

"You two go on ahead. I have to change then I'll join you."

As Sasuke and Sakura left the room Hinata walked past them toward Naruto's room. Sakura saw her coming so she left the door open. Sakura's attention was pulled away from Hinata when she felt Sasuke pull on her arm. "Stay out of it."

* * *

Naruto wasn't aware that Hinata was in the doorway until he turned and saw her standing there. He was a bit put off because she wasn't looking at him. Instead she was looking at the floor directly in front of her. 

"Hinata you can come in." Without looking up Hinata stepped forward and slides the door shut behind her. Naruto moved toward the bed and takes off the shirt he had on. He's about to put on the clean shirt he just grabbed when Hinata's voice stopped him.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For everything. It's my fault you did what you did, it's my fault that nin attacked us and it's my fault you feel horrible."

"I heard Kakashi reprimanded you. He can be a real jerk when he needs to be."

"Don't change the subject." Hinata was suddenly angry with Naruto for brushing her apology aside.

"I'm not. There's no point in me being mad at you when not only did you not know the consequences but you've already been yelled at."

"But I don't care what he thinks, I care what you think."

Naruto sighed heavily and sat down on the bed. He placed his head in his hands and fell silent. His reunion with Hinata was not going well. He feared that the pressure of the attack, her being reprimanded and the marriage proposal were becoming more than their relationship could handle. He felt the bed dip slightly next to him. He knew without looking that Hinata was now sitting next to him.

"I was upset that you didn't come talk to me after the battle. But mostly I was hurt. Hurt that in me trying to protect you I somehow managed only to hurt you Hinata."

Naruto felt the weight disappear next to him. He listened quietly to try and figure out what Hinata was doing. It wasn't until he felt her soft hands on his knees that he looked up to find her kneeling before him.

"Naruto, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why didn't you come?" He knew he sounded desperate, but his pride be damned.

"Because I was scared. But I wasn't scared of you, but of the power you posses, of the fact that I can't help you carry some of the burden of that power. You suffer because of it and there's nothing I can do."

Naruto felt his fear and desperation melt away. He understood now. He knew Hinata hated feeling useless. For the past couple years she had been working hard on being someone who she felt wasn't useless.

"Hinata, this burden is mine alone to carry. I don't want anyone else to carry it. I was hurt you stayed away, but I understand why you did. But please next time just come to me." Naruto slowly wiped a tear away from her cheek before kissing it. He leaned closer until his lips almost touched her ear. "I forgive you, okay."

The moment the words were out of his mouth Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck. He could feel her tears on his neck. Naruto could hear her say, "I'm sorry" over and over.

That night as he lay in bed he thought about his relationship with Hinata. He looked down at her. She had her head on his chest and her arms wrapped around his waist. Naruto enjoyed the warmth she radiated. Looking at her there was no doubt in his mind that he loved her and always wanted her next to him. They complimented each other. Even though they both could stand alone, together they are stronger. Together they could face anything and anyone. Together they could feel a happiness that no one else could give them. Together they were almost a complete entity.

Almost. Naruto would be the first to admit that he was a closet romantic, but he wasn't so sure he believed that there was someone out there that would make him a whole person. He already felt he was a whole person. What he felt with Hinata wasn't wholeness, but complete. She filled a gap he wasn't even aware was there. She filled him, and he hoped that he filled her in return.

Naruto smiled when he thought about the new life he was about to start with her. There was so much to look forward to now. He was going to be a husband, and maybe one day in the future a father. He would be the best father that ever existed, although trying to surpass Iruka was going to be a challenge.

Naruto lost his train of thought when Hinata gave a shuddered sigh. Her body was still recovering from all the crying she did. He slowly ran his hand up and down her back to calm her back down. He felt bad that she cried so much. But now that things were better their small fight didn't worry him all that much, if anything it only proved to him how much their relationship meant. Their fight was based on feelings and emotions. They both had a lot invested in each other. He knew from his relationship with Sasuke and Sakura that fighting every now and then wasn't a bad thing. But of course too much fighting is a bad thing. As he started to drift off to sleep he smiled when he thought, 'I have nothing to worry about.'

* * *

After reading the message Kakashi had just sent via a messenger bird, Tsunade was much more relaxed. The message told her what Hinata had revealed to them as well as the condition Naruto and the village were in. She had also received a message from Shikamaru, who was still at the Sand. He told her that he had heard nothing about the Sound, but that something came up and that he would have to be staying in the Sand for longer than expected. He also said the whole thing was "tiresome". This was his code word for "don't worry everything is fine". She knew he was just trying to keep her from worrying too much. 

Deciding that she needed a break, Tsunade got up and walked out of the tower. First she would pay a visit to the nins guarding the gates then work her way in back toward the tower. She always enjoyed talking to all the nins in the village. It made her feel more closely connected to them. As she approached the gates the two jounins stationed there became nervous. She told them that they had done nothing wrong; she was just paying them a visit. They were in the middle of talking about their families when a puff of smoke appeared a few meters away from the gate.

As the smoke clears three figures appear, two are standing and one was on the floor. The two people standing are wearing black hooded cloaks, making it difficult to see their faces.

"Kabuto-sama sends his apologies. Someone took it upon themselves to attack your nins. He sends this letter," the man pulled out a letter from his sleeve and laid it down by the body on the floor, "and a sign of peace. He hopes you will stick to the agreement since it was not his decision to break it."

With that the two men were gone. Tsunade along with the two jounins approached the body cautiously. When Tsunade reached the body on the floor she's taken aback by what she saw. The man had so much blood on his person that it was hard for her to tell where his injuries were. She took the letter off his body and stuffed it in her shirt to read later. She ordered one of the jounins to get extra help. As he left Tsunade returned her full attention to the bloody man. She rolled him onto his back and saw that the man has only one arm. She cursed under her breath. 'So this is Kabuto's idea of a peace sign.'

* * *

It wasn't even a day since Kakashi sent a message to Tsunade that an Anbu member appeared in the Tea. The Anbu immediately sought out Kakashi and asked to speak to him in private. Kakashi ordered everyone to go the house Naruto was staying in and wait for him. Everyone was very nervous. Was Konoha going to war? Did the Sound make another move? 

When Kakashi walked in the room everyone was sitting, and their level of nervousness rose when they saw the Anbu walk in as well. Kakashi casually stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Well, everyone pack up we're going home." Kakashi was immediately bombarded with questions of why. He raised his hand and the room fell silent once again. "Seems that the attack was done without Kabuto's consent. Hinata's theory is most likely true."

"How can we be sure?" asked Sasuke.

This time the Anbu member stepped forward and answered. "Kabuto sent us the mastermind of the whole thing."

* * *

Tsunade spent the rest of her day making sure the man didn't die from blood loss. Only when she felt there was no chance of him dieing anytime soon did she allow the interrogations to begin. She knew that the sooner he was asked questions the more answers he was likely to give. Tsunade had Ibiki interrogate the man, since he was the best there was. 

After almost three hours of questioning, Ibiki joined Tsunade in her office. Ibiki told Tsunade that the nin was in fact from the Sound and had participated in the chuunin exams the year before. He also said that the attack on the Tea was done without Kabuto's consent. He strongly emphasized to Ibiki that he made a mistake and was now paying for it. But when Ibiki asked him why he attacked the man went silent. Ibiki spent an hour trying to get him to answer before moving on to other questions. For the next hour and a half Ibiki tried to get the nin to reveal something, anything about the Sound. Unfortunately Ibiki was unable to get any information.

"Tell me Ibiki what you make of that man?"

"He's extremely loyal to the Sound and to Kabuto. I think he'd die before saying anything that could damage the Sound. He seemed to think that what Kabuto did to him is deserving. We won't be able to get anything else out of him."

"Did you get his name?"

"Roiyaru."

"Thank you Ibiki. That will be all."

Tsunade didn't really know what to do with the man. Her options were limited. She could either have him executed, let him stay in prison, send him to the Tea and have them deal with him, or release him. She didn't want to release him or send him to a country that might not be able to handle him. Then again she couldn't really have him executed either. That might be the spark Kabuto was waiting for. Tsunade felt a headache coming on. Maybe waiting 'till Kakashi and everyone else returned from the Tea was best.

* * *

As soon as everyone was packed the group left the Tea. It seemed the entire village came out to wish them a safe trip and to give their thanks. The group traveled quickly with the Anbu leading the way. Kakashi was proud that his former students were able to keep up with the pace of the Anbu so easily. The group thought it best if they traveled straight through the night so that they could arrive in Konoha faster. 

They arrived in Konoha early the next morning. The group went straight to the Hokage tower. When they entered Tsunade was at her desk looking over scrolls and drinking what Naruto assumed was coffee. Tsunade thanked the Anbu member and dismissed him. Sakura also dismissed the medical nin that was with her. She told him to go home, get sleep and that he had the rest of the day off. Once both the medical nin and the Anbu left the office, Tsunade walked around her desk went toward Naruto and punched him in the head.

"You idiot! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Nice to see you too." Naruto smiled at Tsunade as he rubbed his head.

Tsunade smiled back and motioned for everyone to take a seat. She moved back around her desk and took a seat.

"Okay Naruto and Hinata tell me what happened."

Naruto leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Well I defeated the nins and then –"

"Will everyone please leave me alone with Naruto." Tsunade was staring hard at Naruto, who in return was staring hard at her. He felt someone give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before leaving. As soon as the door clicked shut Tsunade asked Naruto to start over. But instead of talking Naruto lowered his gaze. "Naruto no one blames you for anything. You did a very noble thing in defending the village. I just need to know what happened."

"I know. Well Hinata and I were in the park when they arrived. I sent her to help evacuate the village and I went to stop the nins. I ended up in a clearing surrounded by the nins. They knew who I was and they knew about the Kyuubi. I thought they killed Hinata. I let my rage take over and I killed them..." Naruto sighed quietly before continuing, "…I killed them bare handedly. Hinata walked into the clearing when I was done. Between the both of us we burned the bodies. Kakashi can tell you the rest."

Tsunade remained quiet for a moment as she studied Naruto before calling for everyone to come back. She asked all of them, except for Kakashi to give her a verbal report.

"Okay I take it you all want to know about the mastermind. He claimed that Kabuto had no knowledge of the attack. When he arrived he was almost dead. Now Hinata's story seems very likely, but I want to make sure. I want him to meet Hinata and Naruto."

"Can we be present?" Sasuke knew he wasn't the only one who wanted to be here when the nin came.

"If you want." Tsunade knew that was to be expected. She called a guard and ordered him to bring the prisoner. As they wait Sasuke, Kakashi and Shino moved to the back of the room and leaned up against the wall. Sakura moved to the other side of the desk to stand next to Tsunade. Naruto and Hinata stood in front of the desk.

When the doors opened there were two guards escorting the nin into the room. Naruto could see that although his feet were shackled, the shackles themselves were not what were causing the nin to limp. He also noticed that the nin's one arm was tied to his back. Although the nin was looking at the floor Naruto immediately recognized him.

Tsunade dismissed the two guards and waited for the nin to look up. When he didn't she called his name. "Roiyaru."

The nin slowly looked up, but his attention didn't go toward Tsunade. Instead his gaze fell solely on Hinata. As he glared at her everyone in the room can feel the killing intent coming off of him. Naruto stepped in front of Hinata, blocking her from Roiyaru glare. Then Naruto began to glare at Roiyaru, as well as release killing intent.

"Stop it at once!" Roiyaru snapped his attention to Tsunade immediately. He decided to take advantage of the moment and look around the room. As his gaze passed over Sakura he stopped and looked at her curiously.

"Are you the one named Sakura?" When she nods, Roiyaru continues. "Ryo told me all about you."

"Did he tell you about anyone else?" Sakura asked.

Roiyaru turns back toward Naruto. "He said Naruto was loud, but friendly." He snorts out the last part of his statement earning him a glare from Naruto. Next Roiyaru turned to Sasuke, who was standing behind him. "He also said Sasuke-sama was different, although I've yet to see the change. As for those two standing next to him, he never mentioned them."

Roiyaru turned back around when Tsunade began to talk to him once more. "How did you know about Naruto?"

"Kabuto-sensei is very knowledgeable when it comes to the nins in Konoha. He made sure his students knew as well." Without turning his head Roiyaru glanced over at Naruto. "Pity too, I wanted to fight you and see your power for myself."

Naruto couldn't hide the anger in his voice as he spoke, "Why did you attack the Tea?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're all trying to do. I'm not stupid. I didn't say anything before because I wanted her." Roiyaru turned so he was now facing Hinata dead on. "You ruined my life. I was Kabuto's favorite, the leader of my team. Then you took my arm, you took my jutsu's. Kabuto no longer cared about me; he pushed me aside and found a new favorite. Look how easy it was for him to throw me away. It's all your fault!"

Naruto could tell by the look on Hinata's face that she was horrified at what she heard. "You attacked us because of revenge?"

Roiyaru completely ignored Naruto and continued to talk to Hinata. "My first attempt failed. I was only able to scratch you. But when I saw you leave with Naruto for the Tea Country I took my chances. I was disappointed you didn't fight. So I had to change my plans. I'd ruin your life, like you ruined mine, by taking him away. Seems like Kabuto was right though, Naruto really is a demon."

Naruto felt his entire body go cold. He could do nothing more than stare at Roiyaru, who in turn was smiling at him. Naruto's field of vision changed though when this time Hinata stood in front of him.

"Say what you will about me, but insult him again and no one will be able to identify your body when I'm through with you."

Hinata left everyone speechless. It wasn't often the quiet girl bared her claws. Even though Roiyaru was slightly fearful now, he refused to show it. When he heard someone behind him scoff, he turned to see who. His attention was drawn to the man wearing a beige trench coat and sunglasses.

"What are you laughing about?"

"It is obvious Kabuto told you nothing. Look around you. Hinata-san is not the only one who now wants you dead."

It was only when Shino told him that Roiyaru realized everyone was looking at him with anger in their eyes. Sasuke had activated his Sharingan, Sakura had her hands fisted so tight her knuckles were pale white. Next to her Tsunade was rubbing the bridge of her nose. Without looking up she called the guards back in and ordered them to take Roiyaru back to his cell. As the guards pulled Roiyaru out the door he forced them to stop.

"Ryo said the people of the Leaf would accept everyone and anyone with open arms. I see now he was shown only a lie!"

As the guards forcefully pulled Roiyaru out the door Tsunade replied to him just before the door closed. "Ryo didn't attack an innocent village."

Once the doors were closed Hinata lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I just made things worse."

"Don't worry about it. I got the information I needed. Kakashi, I need to talk to you, everyone else may leave."

Once outside the tower Shino started walking toward his house. Hinata told Naruto that she should probably go home so as not to worry her father. Naruto gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before walking home with Sasuke and Sakura.

Naruto was the first one in the house. He took off his shoes and went to sit in the living room. Sakura entered next and went to the kitchen to make herself some tea. Sasuke was the last one in. After shutting the door, he turned and stopped when he saw Naruto. He remained in the same spot until Sakura walked in with her teacup. She followed Sasuke's gaze toward Naruto. They both glanced at each other then back at Naruto before approaching him.

Sakura sat next to Naruto and Sasuke moved to sit in the seat across from him. "Naruto, is everything okay?"

"Sakura, will you do me a favor? Will you check my seal?"

Naruto heard Sakura gasp lightly. He didn't blame her. He had never asked her to look at it before. Heck he wasn't even sure either Sasuke or Sakura had ever gotten a good look at it. When she nodded, he stood up, removed his shirt and lay down on the couch. Sakura got down on her knees next to his torso and moved her hands over his belly button.

Naruto watched Sasuke move from his seat to get a better look at what was happening. His attention returned to Sakura when she touched his stomach. Her eyes were closed and there was a faint green light surrounding from her hands.

"Mold some chakra."

Naruto obeyed and molded some chakra for her. He saw Sasuke out of the corner of his eye lean closer to get a better look at the seal that appeared on his stomach. Naruto turned to see that Sasuke had activated his Sharingan.

Sasuke had never seen such a complex seal before. He didn't really understand what it all meant, but it was still fascinating to look at. What also fascinated him was what Sakura was doing. He couldn't copy it because it wasn't really a jutsu. She wasn't healing him or harming him. He couldn't really tell what she was doing. He felt Naruto staring at him. He gave Naruto a small smirk. "You've lost some muscle definition."

Naruto was about to reply when Sakura told him to sit up. As Naruto moved to sit, Sakura left the room only to reemerge with her medical bag. Setting it down she pulled out a small flashlight.

"Look at my finger." Naruto did as he was told. Sakura flashed the light into his eyes at an angle. "Mold some chakra and follow my finger." Once again Naruto listens.

Sasuke concentrated his full attention to Naruto's eyes. He isn't quite sure what Sakura was looking at, but he hoped that whatever it is he might be able to see it as well. His thoughts are cut short when he noticed something strange about Naruto's eyes. He didn't get a chance to observe it more because Sakura removed the light. Instead she got up and placed one hand on Naruto's forehead and the other at the nape of his neck.

"Mold chakra again."

Sakura slowly moved her hands around the nape of Naruto's neck as well as around his forehead. When she removed her hands, Naruto looked up at her. She still had her eyes closed. After a moment she opened them and looked down at Naruto with sad eyes.

"I've changed haven't I?"

"There's more of him in you." When Sakura saw the look of horror on Naruto's face she quickly dropped down to her knees and grabbed his hands. "Wait that came out wrong. It's not that you're turning into him, it's more of him turning into you. The seal is slowly blurring the line that separates you two."

"So he'll disappear?"

"Yes, into you. Your eyes change slightly when you mold chakra, as do your chakra paths. But I highly doubt it'll change who you are. You will always be Naruto, nothing can change that."

"Naruto." Sasuke waited for Naruto to turn to him before continuing. "You knew this was happening?"

"I had a feeling."

"Naruto, you'll be fine. I'll stake my career as a medic on that. OH! That reminds me!" Sakura got up and ran out of the room so fast that Naruto had to pull his legs onto the couch to keep her from trampling them. When she returned she thrusted a thick envelope onto his chest.

"What's this?"

"Kakashi delivered them. They announce promotion. Open it!"

"Did you two get a letter?" Naruto opened the sealed envelope carefully; he didn't want to accidentally rip something important inside.

"Yeah we did. What's it say!"

"Geez, calm down Sakura. Uh…it says…wow! They want me to join Anbu. This is awesome!"

Sasuke instantly felt horrible. Horrible because he was hurt and angry he wasn't asked to join, and horrible because he knew he should feel happy for Naruto. Sakura turned and saw how down Sasuke looked. She remembered how he reacted when Lee mentioned he too was asked to join the Anbu. Naruto noticed the change in Sasuke, and it didn't take him long to realize the cause.

"They didn't ask you to join?"

"No. I was promoted to jounin that's all."

"If it bothers you I won't join."

"Idiot! Go, join. They only ask you to join once. Don't let me hold you back."

"You don't hold me back, but I don't want things to get strange between us."

"If you don't join things will be strange between us." Naruto fell silent. He could tell Sasuke still carried some of his inferiority complex, even though it wasn't as big a problem as it was when they were younger. Joining the Anbu could put his relationship with Sasuke on shaky grounds. But just like Sasuke said, not joining could be just as bad. Naruto might later resent Sasuke. "Naruto an offer like this doesn't happen everyday. We're proud of you so take it, and if you ask me to repeat that I'll kill you."

"Who else made it?"

"Lee did!" The volume and intensity with which Sakura spoke startled Naruto and Sasuke. "Sorry. Shino got promoted, Neji, and Lee also made Anbu."

"Wait, so just those three and us?"

"Naruto, she won't be mad with you." Sakura placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder. After giving him a gentle squeeze, she pushed his back into the couch. "Speaking of Hinata, so did you ask her?"

Naruto moved away from Sakura. With a cheesy smile he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah I did and she said yes."

An overly excited Sakura instantly tackled him. Naruto wasn't quite sure what she's squealing, only that it sounds positive. It's only when he pushed her off that she started to speak in complete and understandable sentences. "So when's the date?"

"Well we haven't really talked about it, but we're going to wait until we're both 18. Other than that, don't know."

"How exciting! I have to talk to her now."

As Sakura left the room, Sasuke gave Naruto a look of pity before getting up and going to his room. That night everyone slept in their respectful beds.

* * *

The next morning Sakura felt so refreshed as she got out of bed. It wasn't often she got a chance to sleep in. From her bed she could hear Sasuke cursing lightly in the kitchen. He probably burned his food again. She could also hear Naruto making a lot of noise in his room. Reluctely she got out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. On her way back to her room, she decided to stop and see what the hell Naruto was doing in his room. 

When she opened the door she was shocked to see clothes, weapons and other ninja paraphernalia thrown about the room.

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing?"

She wasn't sure where Naruto was. It was only when he threw something on the bed from the closet that she knew where he was.

"The letter came with a checklist of things I need to take with me on the month long training session."

"So you're going?"

Naruto walked out of the closet and toward the bed. In his hands he carried some more clothes and what looked like a brown backpack. "Yeah. You guys were right. I'll never get asked again to join. Besides, I shouldn't feel bad about passing all of you since when I become Hokage I'll totally be better than everyone."

Without a word, Sakura casually walked up to Naruto and punched him in the head.

* * *

A Few Days Later

* * *

The entire rookie nine gathered in front of the Hokage Tower to bid Neji, Lee and Naruto farewell and good luck. The conversations were mostly light. Everyone promised to be on their best behavior with the three of them gone. Sasuke threatened to beat Naruto into a bloody pulp if he came home early from the training. Naruto in return poked Sasuke in side, eliciting a giggle from everyone else in the group. Sasuke made a mental note to kill Sakura later for accidentally discovering his one ticklish spot and telling everyone about it. 

Exactly on the hour two Anbu members walked out of the tower and asked for Neji, Lee and Naruto. After saying their final good-byes the three followed the Anbu members inside the tower and into a small conference room.

"Before we leave we will de-brief you and give you new gear. All the information you are told is strictly confidential. Although many will know you are Anbu, they are not to call your name when you have the mask on. If they do, you are not to answer. Wearing the mask takes place of your identity. If you can't handle that you should leave."

When no one moves to get up, the two Anbu removed their masks. Naruto was surprised at how young the two men were. For the next hour the men told them about all the rules and regulations. They learned about the dangers of being an Anbu member, as well as the benefits, such as long vacations. They were told everything and anything. Nothing was left in the dark. The two Anbu wanted Neji, Lee and Naruto to understand what exactly they were getting themselves into. At the end they were once again asked if they wanted to leave, and once again no one moved.

"Alright let's get you your new gear." All three were given new Anbu gear. Naruto asked if he could use his own katana, to which the Anbu members said it was fine. After getting their gear they were shown a cabinet that had all the versions of the Anbu masks hanging inside. They were told to pick a mask. Naruto picked out a dog-shaped mask, with a snout and ears. Neji picked a bird mask, which had a small pointed beak. Lee took the longest to pick out a mask. In the end he picked a bear mask.

"Now that you have your gear there is one rule. You are not allowed to wear it until after you make it through training. Having the gear will help motivate you to your goal. If you fail to pass the training, all the gear will be confiscated. If we find out you wore the gear before completing the training, you will be kicked out. Any questions?"

Naruto put the mask in his backpack and smiled widely at the Anbu. "When do we leave?"

The Anbu smiled as they placed their masks back on. "Right now."

The five of them exit the tower and headed to the northern most part of the Fire Country not to be seen for a month.

* * *

Roiyaru – Loyal

* * *

Okay I like this chapter a lot more than my last one. Is everyone happy now, Hinata and Naruto had their much needed talk. This chapter was packed with a lot of stuff. Not as much dialogue as my last chapter, but oh well. I hope I properly conveyed what Naruto thinks about his relationship with Hinata. 

Roiyaru can be quite the ignorant jerk can't he? Speaking of which, what did everyone think of the smack down Hinata gave him. Owned!

Out of this whole chapter I had the most difficulty trying to figure out the masks. Something so mundane totally kicked my ass. Luckily my beta helped me out.  
(Beta smiled at this.)

Don't forget to review!

**FF Reviews**

Dragon Man 180 – Yeah they do need to help each other out, which is what makes their relationship so great. I gotta tell you though, for some reason when I read your SN I pictured a dragon doing cartwheels. Is that bad?

JohnnyG – Any relation to Kenny G? Okay bad joke. Thanks for the review and I'll try to keep up the work.

Nonengel – Yeah the mood was heavy. Heavy is the right word to use. It was kinda hard writing the Sasuke/Hinata talk since the two never really interact in the manga or anime. But thanks for the comment on that conversation.

TheSunshineGirls – Yes Kakashi is very smexy. Thanks for the comment and tell the other two sunshine girls I said hi.

TimeShifter – Yes they needed to talk, so what did you think? Hopefully I didn't keep you waiting too long.

RGFJ – Thanks!

Salsar Thiran – I hope you continue to read, and hopefully by now you've reached this chapter.

Hells-fox – Insane? Is that a good thing?

Rira – I updated. Can I still see the monkey-nins? I like monkeys.

Shinobi36 – I have always believed that Kakashi is more than he wants people to think. One of the biggest mistakes a person can make is to underestimate someone else, and Kakashi exploits that. You know, I had such a hard time writing Shino too. I haven't really thought about have a Sound Five. And yes I miss Narutonin as well.

**AFF Reviews**

I don't feel loved over at AFF. They stopped reviewing.

:cries:


	18. The Next Step

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto :breaks down crying:**

**Spoilers: From the manga. But you might not even realize it since I kinda changed it up a bit. **

* * *

**Chapter 18: The Next Step**

* * *

_One Month Later_

Sakura and Sasuke were sitting around the dining room table. Sasuke was looking over some scrolls, and Sakura was reading some medical studies lent to her by the Nara clan. Sighing quietly, Sakura leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. So much had changed in the past month. Sasuke had taken to wearing the traditional jounin uniform. The only difference was that all of his shirts had the Uchiha symbol sewn into the shoulder.

His introduction into the jounin ranks was easier than expected. He fit in nicely among all his comrades. He had even been given a few solo missions.

She on the other hand was still somewhat the same. The only major difference was her outfit. She had taken to wearing tight black cargo pants. Even though her belt was specially made for medical nins, she still needed the extra pockets. Her shirt was now short sleeved and wine colored. She still kept her hair up in a ponytail, but now her forehead protector was used as a belt buckle. She had picked up that fashion statement from Lee.

Sakura glanced over at the small calendar on the refrigerator. With the exception of the last two days, the entire month is marked off.

"They should be coming home either today or tomorrow."

Even though Sasuke doesn't answer her, she knows he's listening. It didn't take long for her to learn all his mannerisms and silences. She could tell by the way he sat, or the way he looked how he was feeling. It was all in his shoulders and eyes. As for the silences, she knew when to leave him alone, when to talk to him, and when he was ignoring her. That was all in his breathing. She knew he prided himself in being a blank canvas, so she never bothered telling him that he showed more emotion than he thought.

"Do you have a mission coming up?"

"I have this week off."

Sakura knows that's his way of saying he wants to be home when Naruto got back.

"How's the orphanage coming along?" She's slightly surprised when he stops reading to look at her.

"It's good. All the staff positions have been filled and they've already started receiving applications for adoption."

"Where are the children coming from?"

"The ninja registry. Whenever a ninja dies and they leave behind a child with no family the registry sends the information to the orphanage. The whole process was a lot easier than expected."

"That's great Sasuke. I know we trained a couple of ninja's for the orphanage, and I'd like to go visit them. Where's the orphanage located?"

"I don't know exactly. I haven't gone yet."

Once again Sakura knew what he really meant. He wanted to visit the orphanage with Naruto, and not a moment sooner.

Closing her book, Sakura got up and pushed the chair back in place. "I'm going to go visit Hinata. Do you want me to bring you dinner?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Okay, how does sushi sound?"

"I don't care."

Sakura knew the routine. Sasuke would act like he didn't care, but she knew he did. When she left the house, Sasuke was still at the table looking over his scroll. She arrived at the Hyuuga compound a few minutes later to see Hinata in the courtyard training with Hanabi. Hinata's father, Hiashi, was sitting on the porch watching. Sakura stood back and watched the training session. The match ended a few moments later with Hinata winning the match after she placed her hand over Hanabi's heart.

"You're improving quickly Hanabi."

"Thank you."

Both girls walked over to where their father was sitting. Hiashi nodded toward Sakura as he spoke to Hinata. "You have a guest."

Hinata turned and waved at Sakura, who finally approached her. Together the girls walked to Hianta's room.

"So are you excited about Neji and Naruto coming home?"

"Of course. I hope everything went okay. I heard Anbu training is very difficult and challenging."

"They'll do fine. They're all tough boys."

The pair walked into Hinata's room. Sakura took a seat on the floor as Hinata looked around the room for a shirt. Over the past month they had made it a habit to get together and talk. They found a kinship together. Their conversations usually revolved around the men in their lives. Sometimes Ino would join in and complain about Shikamaru. But that was a rare occasion, since the chuunin exams were coming up once again.

"You never finished telling me what your father said about Naruto."

Hinata changed her shirt and sat on the floor in front of Sakura. "Well at first he was upset. He said I was too young to get married. But now, he's okay with it. He said he has to talk to Naruto."

"Naruto can handle that. Have you made any wedding plans yet?"

"No. I want to make those decisions with Naruto."

Before Sakura got a chance to speak Hanabi threw the door open. She was out of breath from running, and had a huge smile on her face. "Neji just got home!"

All three girls ran out of the room and into the courtyard. Sure enough Neji was standing there talking with Hiashi. He was in his Anbu gear. His hair was longer than it was before. He had it tied back in a low ponytail. In one of his hands he held his mask.

Sensing the girls presence, Neji turned. He said something, but Sakura didn't hear it. She turned and ran out of the compound. For the life of her, Sakura couldn't remember ever running so fast. In seconds she was at her front door. Somehow she managed not to rip the door off its hinges as she opened it.

Standing in the living room was Sasuke talking with Naruto and Lee. Both were in their Anbu gear. Naruto's hair had also gotten longer. It was still shaggy, but tied back. Lee also let his hair grow, but he has his braided. Naruto had his mask placed on the side of his head, while Lee had his hanging from his waist.

"Hi Sakura." Naruto said as he smiled at her.

Lee took a step toward Sakura and opened his arms. "Sakura."

The words weren't out of Lee's mouth before Sakura was rushing toward him. She jumped up throwing her arms and legs around Lee. Lee wrapped his arms around her in return.

"Sakura, don't squeeze me so hard, you'll break me. Wait, Sakura are you crying?"

Sakura doesn't answer him, but Lee can feel her tears on his neck. Turning back to Naruto and Sasuke, Lee opens his mouth to say something, but Naruto interrupts him.

"Go ahead."

Smiling, Lee turned and walked down the hall to Sakura's room. Naruto and Sasuke in return sit down on the couches.

"How was training?"

"Hard. I'm happy I went through it with Lee and Neji. We really helped each other out."

Sasuke couldn't help but feel jealous at Naruto's companionship with Neji and Lee. But at the same time he felt guilty over feeling jealous. It was the same wave of emotions he felt when Naruto received his promotion letter. This time though, Sasuke remained calm on the outside. He would not worry Naruto with his insecurities.

"Have you been assigned a squad?"

"Yeah, tomorrow we're having a meeting and we get to meet them."

"That's good. Are all three of you all in the same squad?"

"No, they separated us." Sasuke was barely able to keep a smile from breaking through at the news. "Enough about me, what did you do? I see you changed your wardrobe."

"A few missions, nothing major. Later today I want us to visit the orphanage."

"Okay that would be awesome. I'll go after I go see Hinata."

Sasuke nodded as Naruto got up and grabbed his bag. Sasuke watched as Naruto walked down the hall to his room. His attention was drawn away from Naruto when he heard a small knock at the front door, which was left open. Hinata was standing in the doorway.

"He's in his room."

With a small nod Hinata walked into the house and toward Naruto's room. Ever since their talk on the beach Sasuke wasn't quite sure how to act around Hinata. Things were awkward between them. But still, Sasuke had to suppress a smile when he heard Naruto yell her name. She made Naruto happy, so Sasuke had to try his hardest not to make his unease ruin their relationship.

Sasuke got up from the couch and shut the front door. He stayed there for a moment. He suddenly felt very alone. He remembered when Sakura told him to find someone to love. Maybe he should find someone. Maybe if he had someone he could be happy again. Wait, but he was happy. He was happy Sakura had someone, and he was happy Naruto had someone. He was back home where he belonged. He had strong people to train with and protect. He also had people to protect him. He didn't need someone to make him happy, he already was. It's just hard to be around two lovey dovey couples who are doing god know what in their rooms.

Sasuke turned when he heard footsteps. Sakura and Lee walked into the living room. Both looked a bit flushed, and overly happy. Sasuke walked away from the door and headed toward the kitchen. He stopped just as he was about to enter the kitchen.

"At least you're quiet."

Immediately Sakura's face turned bright red. "Sasuke…we didn't….I mean.."

Sasuke only smirked and walked in the kitchen. When he returned to the living room, Hinata and Naruto were now sitting with Lee and Sakura. Naruto motions Sasuke to join them. For the next half hour the group does some catching up, well more like Sakura telling gossip.

After looking at the time, Hinata starts to get up. She tell the group that her father wants to hold a small party in honor of Neji and that they're all invited. After saying her good-byes Naruto turns to Sasuke.

"I'll go change and we can go."

Five minutes later Naruto is in a jounin uniform and walking down the street with Sasuke.

"So, how is the orphanage?"

"I don't really know. I haven't gone to visit."

Naruto nods, but doesn't say anything else. Sasuke pulls out a sheet of paper and looks at the address he was given.

"The orphanage should be down this street."

When they turned the corner and they saw a cul-de-sac with three large buildings, one on each side of the street and one at the end of the street. Walking toward the building at the end of the street they noticed that at the top of the building it said "Konoha Orphanage". The "O" in orphanage was actually a spiral insignia with the Uchiha symbol at the center of the spiral. When they enter the building they notice that there is a large reception desk. The woman sitting behind the desk smiles at them and quickly picks up the phone. She tells them to have a seat and that someone will be with them shortly. A few minutes later Hijiro is walking up to them.

"Sasuke, Naruto. Welcome."

"Wow Hijiro-san the place looks amazing. Can we have a tour?"

"Of course."

He leads them down a hallway and up to the second floor of the building. When they reach the second floor the are immediately taken aback by what they see. The floor is actually one huge room with a lot of desks and a lot of shinobi's walking around.

"These are all chuunins. They look through all the records sent to us by the Ninja Registry. They sort through the information and pick out the children that need families. We've decided that any child without a living relative who is under the age of seventeen will go through the orphanage. We don't take rank into consideration though. They also go through all the applications sent in by both individuals and families. You would be amazed at the number of people who want to adopt."

"How are the children and applications broken up?" asked Sasuke.

"The chuunins here are broken up into small groups, and each groups is assigned a specific age group or a specific type of application. Those assigned to children go and find the child and check on their well being. If the child has nowhere to live we bring them here. If they have a place to live, we maintain it. For those assigned applications, they investigate the applicant and conduct interviews. All interviews are done in small groups to get a better range of opinions on the applicant."

Naruto walked toward a desk and asked the nin to explain what he's doing.

"Oh of course Uzumaki-san. I just received the name of three children who have just lost their guardian."

"How?"

"Well…" the nin quickly shuffled some of the papers on his desk before continuing, "their mother died a few years ago. Their father died last week while on a mission. Even though the oldest child is seventeen, he is unable to support his younger siblings. We're going to look for a family willing to adopt all three of them."

"You don't want to separate them, good."

"Thank you Uzumaki-san."

"Naruto, come. Let me take you two to the dormitories."

Hijiro led both Naruto and Sasuke back outside the building and toward one of the buildings flanking the street. Inside the building there was a small reception area, with a circulation desk in the middle. On each side of the reception area was a small hallway. Behind the desk were double doors.

"Those two doors there lead to the cafeteria. We serve food all day long. All the children have to do is walk in. The hallways lead to the living areas. Each floor is divided into sections. Each section shares a common living area. Each room has it's own bathroom, bed, desk, and dresser. Siblings are either placed in the same section, or in the same room depending on what they want."

"What about their education?" asked Sasuke.

"They have a choice of the academy or regular schooling."

"Who watches them while they are here?" Naruto asked.

"Each building has a jounin supervisor. Within each section there are chunins that live within that section and take care of the children. In the other building is the nursery for the babies and toddlers. The chunins there receive extra training. But all the chunins and jounins working here are trained as teachers and lower level medical nins."

"Do they go through the programs supervised by Da ... er I mean Iruka and Sakura?"

"Yes."

With that the trio walked out of the dormitory and into the middle of the cul-de-sac. There were children playing in the street now and a few nins were supervising them.

"How long are the children here before they get adopted?" asked Sasuke.

"The younger the child the faster they get adopted. The older the child the more difficult it is to get them adopted. Siblings are also difficult. But so far, the average has been a month. With more time I can give you positive figures."

Naruto and Sasuke listen as Hijiro continues to inform them. When he's done both Naruto and Sasuke are more than happy with the progress of the orphanage.

"Hijiro-san I must say I'm really happy with the way things turned out. This is better than I ever expected."

"I'm glad. Sasuke and I worked hard on it while you were gone."

"Sensei!"

Naruto and Sasuke turn to see one of their former students running up to them.

"Naruto-sensei! Sasuke-sensei!"

The young boy runs and gives Sasuke a huge bear hug. Naruto laughed at how uncomfortable Sasuke looked. The boy let Sasuke go and quickly threw his arms around Naruto's waist.

"Thank you so much!"

Naruto ruffled the boys hair and smiled when the boy looked up at him. "Thank you for what?"

"For everything!"

Hearing his name the boy hugs Naruto one last time and runs off. They watch as the boy runs up to a older male shinobi standing at the gates. The man quickly picked up the boy and placed him on his shoulders before walking off.

"He's just been adopted." Naruto and Sasuke could hear the smile in Hijiro's voice as he spoke. They quickly said their good-byes and started their walk home.

Both Naruto and Sasuke walked in complete silence, each stuck in their own thoughts. Seeing their former student express so much joy over having a family was simply overwhelming.

"Hey Sasuke, have I thanked you yet?"

Sasuke smiled at the question. He already knew the routine that came along with the question.

"No you haven't."

"Well thank you."

Sasuke was so stunned he stopped walking. That was the first time Naruto had ever thanked him for anything. Well at least verbalized his thanks.

"Why did you say that?"

Naruto stopped walking when Sasuke questioned him. "Am I not allowed?"

"You've never said it before."

"You've never deserved it before. But this time, I don't know."

There was a pause in the conversation as they both digested just how large of an impact seeing their student had on them.

"He seemed happy didn't he Naruto?"

"Yes he did. I wish I was that happy at that age."

"Are you happy now?"

Naruto simply smiled at Sasuke. Of course he was happy now, but saying so would be too easy. Instead Naruto walked up to Sasuke, punched him in the shoulder, hard, and took off running toward the house. Sasuke could hear Naruto laughing hysterically as he ran. With a smirk Sasuke chased after Naruto.

Sasuke didn't want to lose Naruto in the crowd, so he jumped onto the rooftops to get a better view. Naruto on the other hand continued to run down the street. He wanted to make sure he was the first one home, so he picked up speed when the front door came into view.

As quickly as he could Naruto threw the door open, but when he turned to close it he stopped when he saw just how close behind him Sasuke was. Instead Naruto ran into the house. Sasuke ran in after him, and quickly dropped down and attempted to kick Naruto's feet out from under him. Naruto jumped and while in the air turned his body so he could stick to the ceiling using chakra. From his position on the floor Sasuke looked up at Naruto. He quickly stood and back flipped in an attempt to kick Naruto. This time Naruto jumped from the ceiling to a nearby wall.

Sakura walked out of the hallway just in time to see Naruto jump from the ceiling to the wall.

"What the hell are you two doing!"

But instead of an answer, both of them ignored Sakura and continued to jump and kick. Not one to be ignored, Sakura walked up to Naruto grabbed him and threw him out the open front door. Naruto flew out the door screaming the whole way until he hit a wall. Sasuke was so stunned that he didn't even realize Sakura had grabbed him as well until he too was flying out the door.

From inside the house Sakura could hear both of them yelling and groaning from the impact. She walked out of the house and was about to yell at them for being reckless when she saw just how ridiculous that looked. They were a tangle of limbs. She couldn't tell where which arm and leg belonged to whom. So instead of yelling she burst into laughter.

Sasuke instantly got annoyed when he heard Sakura laugh. He was about to express his annoyance when Naruto nudged him. Sasuke turned his head and saw the evil smirk Naruto had on. Instantly understanding the meaning he returned the smirk. Both turned their attention to Sakura, who had noticed the change in them. Sakura reached back and shut the front door, without taking her eyes off Naruto and Sasuke. As soon as the door was closed she took off toward the training grounds. Although she didn't check to see if Naruto and Sasuke followed her, she could sense them behind her.

When she reached the training ground she quickly moved to the opposite side of the clearing so she could see them as they entered. Sure enough a few moments later Naruto and Sasuke jumped into the clearing. All three of them spaced themselves out evenly.

"Do you two have weapons?" When both Naruto and Sasuke shook their heads, Sakura smiled. "Well neither do I. Three on three?" This time she was answered with smirks. "Oh this should be good."

Sakura reached into her pocket and pulled out her fingerless gloves. As soon as they were on she cracked her knuckles. Naruto made sure his hair was tied back properly and his headband was tight. Sasuke simply cracked his neck and waited for the other two to get ready.

All three stood stock still for about five seconds before all hell broke loose.

* * *

A knock at the door distracted Tsunade from the huge piles of paperwork she had to do. Much to her surprise and relief Shikamaru walked in.

"Shikamaru, I have to apologize for sending you to the Sand when it turned out to be unnecessary."

"I wouldn't say that. I didn't find out anything on the Sound, but I did get a lot of information on Akatsuki."

Tsunade sighed heavily as Shikamaru took a seat.

"Shizune, make sure we are not disturbed." Tsunade called out. With a nod, Shizune shut the door, leaving the Hokage and Shikamaru alone.

"Okay what did you find out?"

"The group tried to kidnap Gaara just as I was arriving. Luckily Gaara was able to fight them off. There were a few nin's killed though. So we spent the next few weeks trying to track them and gather information. In our search we ran into Jirayia, he should be arriving here soon with his own set of information."

"So what exactly did you find out?"

"The group kidnapped someone from the Mist and attempted to extract the demon sealed inside them. They succeeded and tried to re-seal the demon within one the members. They failed and the member died."

"How do you know this?"

"We found the Mist nin. He was barely clinging to life. He looked horrible. He told us everything. The night before he died he asked Gaara to take him home. Thankfully he died peacefully in his sleep."

"How did they extract the demon?"

"We don't know. The nin said when he woke up it was gone. We don't know how long the process takes or where they did it. I did find out that they are looking for people they think will help with the re-sealing. My guess would be medical nins or nins who specialize in chakra paths."

"Why them specifically?"

"According to the Mist nin the member of the Akatsuki that died, died because his body couldn't handle the demon chakra. It was just too powerful for his paths. The chakra paths burned and squeezed the life out of him."

"Serves him right. Do you think increased guards and announcing it to the shinobi's will help?"

"Can't hurt. Although I would keep a close eye on the very talented since they are possible targets."

"Agreed."

"Do you need me to write up the plans for it?"

For the first time since Shikamaru walked into her office, Tsunade smiled. "No. Go home, take the week off."

Shikamaru reply was a heavy sigh. He got up sluggishly and started for the door. As he walked out Tsunade heard him say, "Ja ne."

* * *

"Where are they?"

For the fifth time Lee knocked on the front door of the Uchiha house. Sakura had told him to arrive at the house around 3pm so they could all go the Hyuuga compound for Neji's party. But she wasn't here. It was very unlike her to be late, or forgetful. Lee was seriously getting worried. He was seriously considering breaking into the house when he heard laughter. Turning he saw Naruto carrying Sakura on his back and a slightly limping Sasuke walking next to them. All three looked tired, dirty and slightly bruised.

"Sakura, you're getting soft." Naruto would have laughed at his comment had Sakura not pulled his ear.

"Shut up."

Sasuke simply ignored them. He was tired, really tired. It had been a long time since he's had a training session that intense. Naruto had most defiantly improved. So much so that at one point he had to double team with Sakura against Naruto. Everything was fine until Sakura signaled the end of their double team when she poked his ribs, tickling him. He seriously had to get his revenge for her discovering his one ticklish spot. He was brought out of his thought for revenge when he heard Sakura speak.

"Lee I'm so sorry. I completely lost all track of time. Were you waiting long?"

"No it's okay. You look like you had fun."

Smiling Naruto set Sakura down. She quickly opened the door and was about to walk in when Lee picked her up and carried her to her room. She was yelling at him the whole time. Twenty minutes later all four of them left for the Hyuuga compound.

* * *

The party was great. The atmosphere was laid back but welcoming. As it turned out, Lee and Naruto were also celebrated since they too had made Anbu. Neji didn't mind sharing the spot light. In fact Neji actually tried to convince Naruto to announce his engagement. It wasn't until Sakura and Lee joined in that he finally caved. Much to his surprise not very many people were shocked at the news. Kiba actually had the nerve to yell, "About time!"

After all the congratulations and announcements had been made everyone broke into small groups. The conversations were light. Naruto was talking with Shikamaru and Kiba, well more like irritating Shikamaru. When Naruto and Kiba wanted to they could be the most annoying people ever. As Naruto was laughing at one of Kiba's dirty jokes, Hiashi approached him and told Naruto he wanted to talk to him alone.

Sakura was having girl time with Hinata and Ino when Sasuke tapped her on the shoulder. Sakura followed his gaze just in time to see Naruto walking off with Hiashi. Sakura turned to see that almost everyone saw Naruto walk off with Hiashi. All conversations came to end. Sakura could only hope Naruto hadn't done anything stupid.

* * *

Naruto remembered this room clearly. It was the same room Hiashi had taken him to when he first started dating Hinata. And just like before, Naruto and Hiashi are sitting on their knees facing each other. The silence was making Naruto nervous, so nervous he decided to break it.

"You wished to speak to me about something Hiashi-sama."

"Do you remember what we talked about last time?"

"Hai."

"Hinata told me what happened at the Tea. Did you send her away to protect her or because you felt she could not handle it?"

"I knew I would not be able to fight at my full potential if I was worried about her. It was not a decision based on her talents, but my fears."

"Did you know there are many versions of fear?"

"There are?"

"Yes. There is the fear of failing, the fear of letting go, the fear of being alone, the fear of being afraid and many others. These fears can be noble in nature, or they can be selfish fears."

"I understand."

"You, Naruto, had a different kind of fear. You feared for your loved ones. This is a very unselfish fear."

"I have those other fears as well."

"I know. I have one now. I'm afraid of letting go." At this Naruto felt his heart drop. Was Hiashi not going to let Hinata marry him? "Letting her go to you does not lessen my fear."

Naruto didn't care if he looked disrespectful anymore when he got up on one knee and leaned forward. "I can assure you I will continue to take care of her. Hiashi-sama I –"

"That's not what I meant Naruto. I have someone else to worry about now. Since you are joining the clan, and will be my son-in-law I will have to worry about you now."

Naruto was left completely speechless. "Hiashi-sama, I…"

Deciding to cut Naruto some slack, Hiashi smiled and changed the subject. "So tell me Naruto, have you two decided where you will live once you are married?"

"Well to be honest we haven't really talked about it. But I don't plan to live with Sakura and Sasuke. I think we need more privacy than that." Naruto couldn't help the blush that crossed his face.

Hiashi on the other hand laughed at Naruto's bashfulness. He understood what Naruto was getting at, since he too at one time was a newlywed. "Hinata can live off the clan grounds until she becomes head. What about her name, will it change?"

"I don't want her to change it, but she insists."

"You are quite a man Naruto. It does not matter to us, so whatever you two decide we will honor."

"Are you approving of the marriage then?"

"I only wish that Hanabi finds a man as honorable as you Naruto."

"Thank you Hiashi."

* * *

I am so sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. Really I am sorry.

Okay enough of that. I changed their appearance once again. I can't help it. What did everyone think of the orphanage? If you've ever lived in a dorm you totally understood the way it's all organized.

For all of you who were wondering where the Akatsuki were. There I found them.

I'm not really happy with this chapter I wanted to make it longer, the only problem was that if I did it would have been monstrously long and my beta would not have been happy with me. (my beta smiled) So instead some of the good stuff will happen in the next chapter. I might even have a lemon in the next chapter. :gasp: I know, I'm scared too.

Lastly on the 11th I will be graduating from college so I'll have more time to write and put my education to waste.

* * *

**FF Reviews**

**DragonMan180** – I'm sorry I didn't write anything on the Anbu training. I didn't write it for two reasons: one I have no idea what to write, and I got lazy.

**Hells-fox** – I thought about giving him a fox mask, but a fox face and a dog face look the same. I also didn't think Konoha would be all to happy to have a fox mask considering.

**JohnnyG** – did I scare you with the Kenny G thing? Sorry. The Hinata smack down was defiantly my favorite part of that chapter.

**Nonengel **– My ideas on what to do with the peace offering keep changing, which is why he wasn't mentioned in this chapter. I might have him in the next chapter, don't know yet.

**XL** – Well I wrote it as "the body" because I didn't want to reveal who it was until later. I didn't know how else to refer to him.

**TheSunshineGirls** – I GOT GLOMPED! That's my first one ever. The whole Sasuke being ticklish thing came from my warped idea that some part of him has to still be normal. When you look at him when he was younger, he was a normal bratty kid. He had to be ticklish.

**Helloitsme-again** – That was a mouthful to write, wait I mean handful :confused: Thanks for the awesome comment. And thanks for reading it all.

**Salsar Thiran** – I daydream all the time. That's how I got attacked by plot bunnies, be careful of the claws.

**Shinobi36** – You know after I read your comment on Lee and Sakura I laughed. My next chapter will actually be about them. I think you're reading my notebook! Yeah in the manga Sakura is kicking major ass. I never really hated her, so it's good to see her laying the smack down.

* * *

**AFF Reviews**

**Jbrock** - I'm sorry I didn't catch your review early. I saw it after I had already posted. Anyway, thanks for the comments on Kabuto and Naruto. Did you threaten to punish me? I dare you. About the masks, you aren't the first one to ask about the frog as a possiblility. To be honest I thought a frog mask would look ugly. Dog looks kinda like a fox, with the snout and the ears. It made sense in my head. OMG I just noticed your email! GUAHH!

**Armed and Dangerous** - :hides: Wow you really don't like Roiyaru. Don't worry about rambling, I do it all the time. As a matter of fact the other day….

**Leah** – LOL! I made you squeal? Was it a good squeal or a bad one? I hate reading fics where Naruto is either really stupid and naïve or a closet basket case. And no need to worry I won't name any character Hope. That's just way too cliché for me. As for Sasuke and a significant other. I'll let you in on a little secret, he's gonna get some action…..but not until way later.

* * *

Don't forget to leave some flames.


	19. Fleeting Moments

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be a stripper.**

**Spoilers: Some from the manga, but I mixed it up so you probably won't even notice it**

**Warnings: Lemon **

**Chapter 19: Fleeting Moments**

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* * *

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The Next Day

Naruto couldn't help but feel nervous and excited all at once. Today he was going to be assigned to his Anbu squad. Lee and Neji had agreed to meet him in the lobby of the Anbu Headquarters. Dressed in his full Anbu gear, Naruto followed some other Anbu members since he didn't really know his way around the headquarters. Thankfully he saw Lee and Neji waiting, just where they said they would. Both were also in their Anbu uniforms. Lee had his mask tied loosely around his waist, while Neji was holding his. Naruto smiled, adjusted his mask, which was placed on the side of his head, and sat down.

The three rookie Anbu talked for a bit before their two instructors approached them. They were told the day before by their instructors that today would be their last day of instruction from them. The instructors motioned for the rookies to follow them into the meeting hall.

The meeting hall was huge. At the front were huge chalkboards and one long table. All the seating was in the style of a lecture hall. There were no windows and only one entrance, obviously to ensure the secrecy of whatever was discussed within the hall.

The instructors told the rookies that while inside the meeting hall the rules of secrecy between Anbu members was not as strict. They can answer to their own names, as well as call other members by their names regardless of whether or not they have their mask on. Only when outside of the headquarters are they not to answer to their names, when wearing their masks. The instructors told them that all others rules will be told to them by their new captains. The rookies are taken aback when their instructors smile at them. "It's been our pleasure to train you for the Anbu." With that they walk away.

Naruto, Lee and Neji end up sitting in the last row. They want to be able to observe everyone in the room. Some had their masks on, some didn't. Some members are joking around with what was probably their squad, while others sat in silence. But overall the atmosphere within the room was laid back.

The atmosphere changed though when an Anbu member wearing a long black hooded cloak walked in. Everyone scrambled to find a seat before the Anbu made it to the front of the room. Naruto instantly knew who the man was, he was the Head of the Anbu. Their instructors had told them that the Head of the Anbu was in charge of organizing the squads, passing out missions, and promoting the captains. The instructors also told them that despite his fearsome appearance the head of the Anbu was actually a very nice man, although no one aside from the Hokage knew who he was.

"I'm pleased to see all of you once again. As some of you know we have three new members. Will Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee please come down?"

Immediately all three got up from their seats and walked to the front of the room. When Naruto turned to look at the rest of the Anbu members he was suddenly very nervous. The room looked much larger and it seemed as if all eyes where on him.

"Now you three will be placed into squads that I deem will benefit the most from your skills. After the meeting you and your squad can get together and meet formally. Your captain will also take you to get your tattoo, which will officially make you an Anbu member."

There was a small round of approving applause. Naruto couldn't suppress the smile that crossed his face. He was just way too excited.

"Uzumaki Naruto you will be joining squad eight. Will they please stand." On the far right side of the room against the wall four Anbu members stood. Naruto turned smiled at the Head of the Anbu and then walked over to join his new squad.

"Hyuuga Neji you will be joining squad three. Will they please stand." Neji walked over and joined the four other members of his new squad.

"Rock Lee you will be placed in squad seven. Will they please stand." Lee's squad had only three other members.

"Well then, does anyone have any questions?" The whole room remained silent. "Well then congratulations to our newest members, and you are all dismissed."

Naruto silently followed his new squad as they walked to one of the smaller meeting rooms. Once inside all the members sat around the table and removed their masks. It was only then that Naruto realized that he was the only one with the squad with his face exposed. Once their masks were removed Naruto was shocked to see that some of their faces were familiar, even if he couldn't remember their names.

The Anbu member with burn scars on his face approached Naruto and extended his hand. "My name is Raido, I'm the captain." Naruto shook his hand firmly. Everyone else introduced themselves, and Naruto was very relived to notice they all seemed very excited to have him on their squad. He got no bad vibes from any of them.

Raido told Naruto that Squad 8 specialized in stealth, infiltration and information gathering. They train five days a week and have the weekends off. The only time that the schedule changed was when they had a mission. Their missions tended to be very long, considering their expertise. Thankfully though after each mission they were given a short paid vacation.

"Lets get you your tattoo. I'll be the one to tattoo you."

Naruto nodded and watched as Raido gathered the needle and started mixing the ink. As he mixed the ink another member pulled out a pen and outlined the spiral Anbu design on Naruto's shoulder. Once the design was outlined everyone nodded in agreement. Raido was very quick and effective with the needle. He was done in no time. When he was done, Naruto quickly wiped his shoulder clean and inspected the tattoo.

"This one hurt more than my last one."

"You have another tattoo?" Raido stopped putting away the tattoo equipment as he approached Naruto once again. Naruto waited until Raido was in front of him before showing him the palm of his hand with the small spiral. "Who gave you that one?"

"Jirayia. So when do we train?"

"Your arm isn't sore?"

Naruto poked at the tattoo then turned and smiled at Raido. "It's already healed."

Raido simply smiled back, put his mask on and walked out of the room. Everyone quickly followed suit and ran out of the room.

--

Lee on other hand was not having a good time. His skin was not taking the tattoo well. He was bleeding profusely and welting. His captain, who was a very friendly woman, sent him to the hospital. Lee knew she was feeling bad over the tattoo, but it wasn't her fault.

When he walked into the lobby the nurses saw the blood running down his arm and pulled him into a private examination room. Once inside the room, Lee removed his mask. The nurse treating him instantly recognized him, and became nervous. She didn't want to be known as the nurse who didn't treat Sakura's boyfriend properly. Lee noticed her nervousness. He smiled at her hoping to calm her down. The nurse gave Lee some painkillers and some cream to put over the wound. As Lee put his mask on he asked the nurse not to tell Sakura that he was there. When the nurse nodded, Lee thanked her and headed home.

By the time Lee got to his apartment he was in a lot of pain, it hurt to move his right arm. Upon entering his apartment, Lee took off his clothes with the exception of his boxers. Using the bathroom mirror to help him see he applied the cream the nurse gave him. He would forgo taking the painkillers though. He didn't want to accidentally mess up the dosage. He knew he was never good at taking medicine. Instead he lay down on his bed and he draped his left arm over his eyes. He soon fell into an uneasy sleep.

--

The goal was simple. Sneak up to his squad members and 'take them out'. Yet somehow Naruto was having a hard time getting even remotely close to them. Raido said the purpose of the exercise was to see the extent of Naruto's skills as well as train the rest of the squad on awareness. After being found out again, Naruto jumped down from the trees and approached Raido. Naruto was so frustrated a blind man would have been able to tell.

"Come here." Thinking he was about to be reprimanded Naruto walked over to Raido with his head slightly bowed. "You are doing a lot better than I expected. The problem is you have to hide your chakra better, as well as use less flashy jutsus."

Naruto took a moment to think over the advice. If he could hide his chakra then the other squad members wouldn't be able to detect him. That also meant he couldn't rely on certain skills he spent so long building. As for the less flash jutsus, that made sense to him. The whole point was to sneak up not destroy. Naruto would have to rely on simple and subtle techniques. Not exactly his area of expertise. With a nod Naruto took off to try once again.

Raido stood back and watched. He could tell that Naruto had listened to his advice. As a matter of fact Naruto did much better. He got very close to achieving his goal, had it not been for the teamwork of the squad Naruto might have 'taken them out'. Naruto was definitely an excellent addition to the squad.

"Okay lets break for lunch everyone." Raido took off his mask, grabbed his pack and waited for the rest of his squad to follow his lead. Once everyone had taken their mask off as well he led them away.

The squad gathered in a small clearing and pulled out their lunches from their packs. Naruto sat back and observed the ease with which his squad interacted. It seems their skills on information gathering also leaked into their personal lives since all the talk seemed to revolve around gossip.

"Say Naruto, you live with Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Is it strange?"

"Strange? Why would it be strange?"

"Well considering what Sasuke did."

Naruto continued to eat as he answered. "You ask as if he's the first person to ever make a mistake. We worked it out, we're still working it out."

"If someone had done that to me, I don't know if I would have been able to forgive them."

This time Naruto did stop eating. "Are you questioning my decision?" His tone wasn't angry, only very confident.

"No, I'm just saying you're more forgiving than me."

"What would you do if your first and only best friend left because he was manipulated to? What would you do if your best friend left and hurt you because they had been hurting all along for so long in fact that they didn't know what else to feel? Would you forgive them and help them or turn your back?"

"I don't know. I had a different childhood than you Naruto. I had lots of friends. With that kind of support I don't know what I would do. Maybe you're a better person than me."

"No, I'm not better just different. He's just my best friend and I wasn't letting him go without a fight."

"But you have lots of friends now, and a great fiancé."

The comment caused Naruto to blush, which only made everyone laugh.

"Hey Naruto, I've got a question."

Naruto turned and faced his squad member. He couldn't help but think how nosey they all were. Then again it was probably engrained in them by now. Gods did he hope he didn't turn out to be as nosey as them. His thought evaporated when he saw the far off look his squad member had.

"Answer honestly, is Sakura really as nice and beautiful as she is when she's in the hospital?"

There was a moment of silence before Naruto burst into hysterical laughter. "Do you have a crush on her?" Instead of answering, the man turned and stuttered a few words that no one could decipher. This only caused everyone to join in the laughter. "I'd be careful. Lee is very protective of her."

"I was just curious."

Everyone burst in laughter again. Naruto knew then that he was really going to enjoy his new squad.

--

"Excuse me Haruno-sama?"

Sakura stopped walking down the hospital hallway and turned to see a very nervous nurse. "Yes."

"Lee-san was here earlier."

Forgetting where she was going, Sakura walked toward the nurse. "What for?"

"He got his Anbu tattoo and his skin reacted violently to it. He told me not to tell you, then he went home."

"You treated him?"

"Yes. I gave him some cream for the tattoo and some painkillers."

"Good. Thank you for telling me." With that Sakura walked past the nurse and began looking around for the head nurse. When Sakura finally found her she told her that an emergency had come up and that she had to leave. The head nurse told her that everything would be under control. Taking off her lab coat, Sakura ran out the front doors.

--

Sakura couldn't help but feel extremely sorry for Lee. He was lying on the bed in nothing but his boxers. His left arm was covering his eyes. His whole body was leaning to the left in an attempt to keep his right shoulder from touching the bed. He looked dreadfully uncomfortable. His right shoulder looked red and swollen.

Moving silently Sakura sat down on the bed next to Lee. With extreme care she lifted his right arm and placed it in her lap. She turned his arm slightly until she had a clear view of the tattoo. After running through some seals, Sakura's hands were surrounded by green chakra. She quickly began to heal Lee's shoulder.

Halfway through the treatment Lee began to stir. When he removed his left arm from his eyes he was shocked to see Sakura sitting next to him.

"Hold still, I'm almost done."

"The nurse told you didn't she?"

"You should have told me."

"I didn't want to worry you."

Neither said anything else as Sakura continued to heal Lee's shoulder. When she was finally done the swelling was completely gone, but it was still slightly red. Without a word Sakura got up and went to the bathroom. Quickly finding the bandages she knew were there, Sakura returned to the bedroom to find Lee sitting on the bed. She sat next to him and began to wrap his shoulder.

"You'll be sore for a few days, but you'll heal just fine."

As Sakura got up to put the bandages away Lee grabbed her hand and stopped her. "Thank you Sakura."

Looking at him Sakura realized just how much she truly missed him the past month. Even though he'd been back for a day, that one day hadn't been enough for her. Slowly Sakura leaned down and gave Lee a chaste kiss on the lips. In return Lee leaned back onto the bed, pulling Sakura on top of him. Sakura willingly moved with him and laid her head on his chest. Sakura could hear the soothing sound of his heart and she could feel his fingers playing in her hair.

"Sakura, you know people think that we've…"

"I know. Let them think whatever they want."

Another calm moment of silence followed before Lee once again spoke up.

"Aren't you supposed to be working right now?"

"Yes, but you take priority."

"I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I don't want you to be in pain." Carefully Sakura sat up until she could see Lee's face clearly. "You are important to me. Without you I would go insane."

A small sincere smile appeared on Lee's face. Sakura could see the love flowing from his eyes. She felt his warm hands cup her face.

"I love you Sakura."

Sakura moved up his body until she was face to face with him. Brushing her lips against his she whispered 'I love you' before kissing him. She realized she had missed these innocent intimate moments. Lee just made her feel so safe. Pulling back she placed her head on his good shoulder and rubbed her nose against the side of his neck. In return Lee rubbed soothing circles on her back with one hand, while the other hand continued to play with her hair.

"Sakura, do you ever feel pressured to move our relationship faster because of Naruto and Hinata?"

Sakura moved her head back so she could see Lee's profile from his shoulder. "Sometimes. Do you?"

"At times, but then I think about our relationship and I realize our relationship is different from theirs. They walk a different path that we do."

"Lee I don't care how fast, how slow or how different our path is from anyone else's as long as I have you next to me."

Slowly Lee pushed Sakura off his shoulder and rolled onto his side facing her. He propped himself up on his elbow and with his free hand lightly touched Sakura's cheek.

Sakura closed her eyes at the contact. She was swimming in his soft caresses. Who would have thought that such soft innocent touches could make her heart swell. This man, this independent man, had loved her from the moment he laid eyes on her. He made her feel loved, attractive, and sexy. He made her feel things she never knew she wanted to feel.

Her thoughts stopped when Sakura felt Lee kiss her temple. Those lips then kissed her ear. Sakura turned her head, giving him more access to her ear and neck. As Lee kissed her neck, Sakura reached forward and pulled him on top of her.

Lee stopped kissing Sakura and instead leaned back on his elbows so he could see her face. Sakura could see the hesitation and surprise on his face. Smiling Sakura reached behind Lee and grabbed his braid. She pulled out the tie and undid the braid. His hair spilled over his shoulders. Sakura ran her fingers from his scalp down his neck and back, playing with his hair the whole time. Lee closed his eyes and sighed softly.

"You have beautiful hair. Don't cut it."

"As long as you like it."

"I like a lot of things about you." Sakura's voice was merely a whisper, but Lee heard her loud and clear. He smiled when Sakura gave him her best seductive look. He leaned down and kissed her with such passion that it surprised even him.

Sakura returned the kiss with equal passion. She threw all her trust and love into the kiss. She wanted him to know exactly what she felt. She wanted all doubt to leave his mind. Slowly she ran her hands up from his lower back to his shoulders, the whole time being careful of his injured shoulder. Lee pulled back from the kiss just enough to be able to move to Sakura's ear.

"Are you sure?" Lee's voice was deep and low. The sound and feel of his voice made the muscles at the base of her back clench.

"Yes." Her reply was more of a breath than a word, but he understood nonetheless.

"You can stop me at anytime if you want."

"And you can stop me at anytime if you want." Lee couldn't help but laugh softly.

--

Naruto was dead tired. After lunch Raido made the squad spar. He said that a ninja must keep his skills sharp. So for the rest of the day they sparred. Naruto won a few matches, but he was still tired, and sore.

When he walked in the house Sasuke was sitting at the table looking over some scrolls. As Naruto shut the door he stopped dead in his tracks. Sakura hadn't welcomed him home. She always welcomed him home.

"She's not here, and I don't know where she is."

Naruto nodded and headed to his room. Sakura might have had a really busy day at the hospital, or maybe Tsunade decided to take her out for some training. Either way, if Sasuke wasn't worried he wouldn't worry. He knew Sasuke, and Sasuke was a protective bastard.

After changing into his jounin uniform Naruto walked back into the dining room. Sasuke was still looking over the scroll.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Eat out or cook?"

"Don't care."

"Hey bastard help me out. Choose something, my treat."

Sasuke lowered his scroll and sighed heavily. "Eat out."

"See was that so painful."

Sasuke rolled up his scroll and went to put it away. By the time he came back Naruto was already waiting outside for him.

Sasuke wasn't surprised when they ended up at the ramen stand. He wasn't going to complain though. He was getting bored being home by himself. He was also running short on scrolls to study. Maybe he could borrow some of Naruto's.

"How was training?"

"Good. But I have a lot to learn."

"How's your squad?"

"They're great. They're really helpful, friendly and funny. Our captain is a nice guy too."

"I saw your tattoo, did it hurt?"

"Not really. It healed quickly obviously."

Sasuke stared at the arm where the tattoo was located. He couldn't see it at the moment because of the long sleeves Naruto was wearing. Naruto noticed though where Sasuke was looking, so he pushed up his sleeve so Sasuke could see the tattoo. Without thinking Sasuke reached out and almost touched the tattoo, but he pulled his hand back at the last moment.

"You'll have one someday, I promise."

Naruto smiled his cheesy grin at Sasuke. Instead of smiling back, Sasuke punched Naruto right on the tattoo.

"Owww. Bastard it's still a little sore."

This time Sasuke did smirk.

"So, Sasuke got any missions coming up?"

"No. I'm on vacation. I plan on spending my time studying and training."

"What level do they give you?"

"Nothing lower than a B rank. But I haven't gotten an S rank yet."

"It's only been a month."

The rest of the meal was spent in comfortable silence, with the occasion elbow jab. When they were done the sun had already set. Naruto ordered some take out for Sakura just in case. Yet when they arrived home she still hadn't shown up. Now Naruto was getting worried. It wasn't like Sakura to just disappear and not let anyone know.

Naruto did a quick walk through of the house just to be sure, before striding to the door and leaving. Sasuke was right behind him. There was only one other place Sakura could be at, and if she was there Sasuke knew Naruto was going to give both Sakura and Lee an earful. Not to mention Sasuke himself was going to give them death glares for making him worry.

--

When they knocked on the front door, they got no answer. Sasuke pressed his ear against the door and signaled to Naruto that there was someone inside. Silently the pair moved to the back of the building and walked up the wall to Lee's living room window.

Sasuke entered first and activated his Sharingan. After scanning the room quickly, he signaled to Naruto that were no genjustu traps. Naruto entered the room and looked around. He too could see nothing out of the ordinary. After signaling to each other quickly Naruto went to investigate the kitchen, while Sasuke went to the bedroom.

As Sasuke approached the bedroom he noticed the door was wide open. Well that made things easier. Sasuke pulled out a kunai as he walked up to the door. The room was almost completely dark. Sasuke quickly scanned the room, and was almost done when he stopped dead in his tracks. On the bed Lee and Sakura were spooning. The sheet only covered their hips. Thankfully their arms covered the majority of Sakura's breasts. It didn't take Sasuke very long to figure out what had happened.

He quickly turned toward the kitchen just in time to see Naruto walking up to him. Sasuke shook his head and signaled for them to leave. Naruto stopped walking and gave Sasuke a confused look. Sasuke quickly closed the distance between them, grabbed Naruto's arm and lead him back outside the apartment. Once outside Naruto pulled his arm back.

"Why did you do that?"

"She's here and she's fine."

"Then let me yell at her for worrying us."

Once again Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm when he turned to walk back to the apartment. "No, don't."

"Why the hell not?"

"They….she….we probably won't see her until tomorrow."

"What?"

"Naruto, damnit don't make me say it."

"Then how the hell else am I supposed to understand?"

"They were in the bed together."

"So they were asleep, what's the big—" Naruto never finished his sentence. The light blush on Sasuke's face was enough for him to understand. "OH…oh, well let's go home I guess."

--

The Next Morning

--

Deep down inside Sakura knew that sneaking back into the house was futile. Naruto and Sasuke knew for sure she was out all night. They might even know where. She didn't really know why she was sneaking in. Maybe she hoped that she could get through today without running into one of them. If she walked in through the front door a confrontation was sure to happen.

Without making any noise she quickly grabbed some clean clothes and changed. She had already showered at Lee's place, much to their embarrassment. Things were still fresh and new. But she liked it.

After changing she quickly brushed her hair and headed toward the door. That was her first mistake. As she walked down the hallway toward the front door the sound of Naruto's voice stopped her.

"Sakura you want some breakfast?"

Sakura turned her attention toward the dinning room. Sasuke was sitting at the table reading a book, and Naruto was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and dinning room.

"No, I'll be fine." She quickly turned and almost rushed the door to get out.

"You sure."

Sakura could hear it, the evil foxy smile. She turned and sure enough Naruto had the evil smile on his face. Sasuke on the other hand had his eyes closed and was slowly shaking his head. Sakura felt all the blood rush to her face.

"Perverts!"

And with that she ran out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

--

It had been a week since Tsunade had sent a team to the Sand to gather more information regarding the incident that happened while Shikamaru was there. But finally after a week the

team had returned, and with a guest.

"Temari-san, how are you?"

"Fine Hokage-sama. May I have a word with you?"

"Of course." After thanking and dismissing her ninja's Tsunade asked not be disturbed. The meeting was a no nonsense meeting. They discussed and confirmed all the information Shikamaru had told Tsunade. The Akatsuki was moving, and now that they had a general idea on how to extract and re-seal a demon they more than likely will try to get Naruto.

Tsunade was not happy. She already had a lot on her hands, what with Roiyaru in prison, and the Sound more than likely waiting for the perfect opportunity to use that to their advantage. Never a dull moment in Konoha.

Just as the meeting was coming to an end Jirayia barged into the office. Tsunade would have punched him had he not had a serious look on his face. After dismissing all the ninja's that ran at the sound of her door being thrown open, she took a seat behind her desk. After quick introductions, Tsunade got down to business.

"Shikamaru told me you were also gathering information."

"The Akatsuki are mobilizing against the Leaf. They figured out how to properly re-seal the demons into other people."

"Tell me how."

"They kidnapped a vessel from the Hidden Rain, extracted his demon, which was fairly weak, and re-sealed it within another ninja they had kidnapped. It worked and the members killed the ninja and the vessel."

"Then how do you know this information?"

"Let me finish I'm getting there. They were able to re-seal the demon with the help of a very strong medical nin. He was able to heal the chakra paths as the demon was slowly re-sealed. He also kept the body stable after the demon was completely re-sealed. But a few days after the vessel and the ninja were killed the medical nin fled. I found him half dead. The Akatsuki were still chasing him. He was severely wounded, starving and had no chakra left. He told me that he fled because he couldn't stand the guilt of what he had done. I told him I would talk to him in further detail in the morning, but when I woke up he had killed himself."

"Was he an older man, with green hair and scars on his forehead?" Jirayia turned to Temari and nodded. "He's from the Sand. A few days ago our top medical nin went missing. We had no idea where he was. Now I know."

Sighing heavily, Tsunade got up and looked out her office window over looking the village.

"Tsunade, the Akatsuki are going to want another medical nin. There are only two medical nins I can think of that are talented enough for this job, and I don't think they'd come after you."

Tsunade whipped around and glared at Jirayia. "They will not get her. I'll make sure she's protected."

"Tsunade you know she's not the only one they want. You know as well as I do that they won't want to be hidden away, especially Naruto."

She felt a headache coming on. She knew what Jirayia said was true. They would refuse to be hidden or guarded. Things would get even worse if Sasuke knew what was going on. She couldn't order them to stay in the village either. Sakura would listen, but Naruto just got assigned to a new squad. Should she even keep them in village? Things could get ugly fast if there was an attack on the village by the Akatsuki. Maybe sending one of them away, but where and who?

"Jirayia, what if I sent one of them away?"

"That might help. We won't be able to protect them though."

"I don't mean to butt in, but I have a suggestion. We need a medical nin in our village desperately, so why not send the medical nin from here to our village. We know how to defeat them, we've done it once already. Our nins will protect yours."

Tsunade thought it over quickly. Konoha wouldn't suffer greatly if Sakura left. She could take over some of Sakura's duties along with Shizune. She knew for a fact that Gaara would take very good care of Sakura. Sakura might not be too crazy about the idea, but that didn't matter if it kept her safe.

"Alright Temari-san, I'll send our medical nin back with you. She is not to know the real reason she's going. In the meantime please feel free to make yourself at home here in Konoha." Tsunade turned to Jirayia and was about to tell him something when she realized he was already half way out the door. "Where are you going?"

"To see my student. I hear he's getting himself married."

Tsunade smiled and waved him off, then called in two chuunins. She had one take Temari to a nearby lodge, and had the other find Sakura. When Sakura walked in she was wearing her traditional cargo pants, sleeveless shirt and white lab coat.

"You wanted to see me Tsunade-shishou?"

"I'm going to be sending you to the Sand with Temari-san in a few days."

Sakura was caught completely off guard. "Why?"

"They are in dire need of a talented medical nin, and I'm going to be sending you. I don't know how long you will be there. I will look over all of your duties while you are gone, Shizune will help as well."

"Shishou you sure?"

"Yes. You have the rest of the week off to prepare. Come here the day before you leave to give me a quick overview of your duties, even though I somewhat already know them."

"Yes."

Tsunade could tell that Sakura wasn't happy over being sent away. She didn't like seeing her that way, but it was for her own safety, even if she didn't know it. "Sakura, it's a great honor to go to another village because of how talented one is."

"I know. Thank you."

With a quick bow Sakura walked out of the office. Lee was going to take the news hard.

--

Sasuke walked out of the bathroom rubbing a towel in his hair. Training today went very well. The night they discovered Lee and Sakura in bed together, he and Naruto had a talk. Sasuke confessed that he didn't have anyone to spar with anymore and that it bothered him. A few days later Naruto told him that he talked with Shino and that he agreed to spar with Sasuke. Turns out Shino wanted to join the Anbu next year, and needed a sparing partner as well.

Sasuke would have to thank Naruto later. Shino didn't talk a lot, but was an excellent sparing partner. He was precise, efficient and no nonsense. They also strangely got along well.

As Sasuke draped the towel over his shoulders there was a knock on the door. When he went to open it Jirayia and Gamakichi were at the door.

"Hey Bastard! Is the kid home?"

Sasuke glared at the frog then Jirayia. Jirayia simply shrugged an apology.

"He's not home." Not one to be rude, Sasuke moved aside so Jirayia could walk in. But as Jirayia walked in Gamakichi followed him as well. Sasuke quickly stopped them. "Not the toad."

"I'm a frog, and the kid was right you are a bastard." With that Gamakichi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke shut the door and started to walk to the kitchen to make Jirayia something to eat while he waited.

"Don't bother with food. We're eating out, my treat."

"I hope you have a lot of money because Naruto eats like a cow."

* * *

FINALLY! Sorry this chapter took so long to write. Really I am. For those of you at who want to read the Lee/Sakura lemon just go to my profile and follow the link. That was my first hetro lemon, and a long one at that.

Before anyone writes me a review asking me why the food scene between Sasuke and Sakura went more smoothly than the one in this chapter between Sasuke and Naruto let me explain something. I took those two scenes from my life. I respond both ways when my roommate and me try to figure out what to eat. Sasuke is indifferent. He doesn't really care. He probably just wants to eat and figures it would be easier to stay quiet then get into an argument over what to have for dinner. It's not that one has a stronger relationship with him, it's just that both relationships are different.

Why is it that I'm able to easily write Lee and Sakura, but have some difficulty writing Hinata and Naruto? Oh well. I'll work on that.

I would also like to let everyone know, that I hand write my chapters before I type them out. I'm usually one or two chapters ahead in my writing by the time I type chapters out. This gives me the freedom to incorporate my suggestions and answer reviews better. Well this chapter finally caught up to my journal. I have written nothing after this chapter. Not to fear, I have an idea of what I want I just haven't had the sudden motivation to write it down. Basically that means my next chapter will take some time.

Now don't whine, this chapter was pretty long, even without the lemon.

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**FF Reviews**

**TheSunshineGirls** – Yes I am a poor neglected thing. I'm sorry there was no Sasuke tickling this time around.

**Pale Rider** – No keep complaining about it until I finally get it right. I know what your saying and I am trying to work on it. That's half the reason I haven't written anything yet.

**TimeShifter** – Thanks for the congrats. Nope the Akatsuki won't be looking for Hinata, I think they would go after Neji before they go after Hinata.

**Nonengel** – Thanks for the comment on the chase scene. That was actually my fave scene.

**JohnnyG** – Thanks, I'll try.

**Dragon Man 180** – I'm glad you liked the orphanage. I don't know if I'll have Naruto take Hinata to the orphanage, I'll think about that one.

**Da Squeakz** – YAY A FLAME! (laughs uncontrollably)

**Patheticlife.worthlesslove** – Quite a name you got there. Yeah there was a small cliffy. This one has one as well.

**AnnieThePipster** – Glad you caught up. Yeah I have horrible grammar, sorry.

**Aznpuffyhair** – I like the name. Anyway here was your update.

**Shinobi36** – the scene between Sasuke and Sakura is actually something that me and my roommate do all the time. She enjoyed reading that. And this ain't no masterpiece.

**Aloi-chan – **I try to update as often as I can. Glad you liked it too.

**TigerWolf** – are you a mix of the two? Thanks for the comments.

**Aznchicki** – four hours wow that's a long time. I've done that before with some really awesome fics before. And thanks for the congrats.

**AFF Reviews**

**Saico – **Thanks for the comment on my fic and graduating. Yeah I remember that scene from the series. I think he told her just to get her to shut up. Then again he was being kinda pissy at that moment.

**Jbrock** – The whole monster in every village thing wasn't my idea. And the whole thing about Sasuke wanting revenge on Sakura for finding his ticklish spot was totally an accident. So don't think to highly of me. How many times have you read this story over?

**MediaMiner Reviews**

**didi kat - **Thanks for the comment on the plot twists. I hope this chapter was up to your standards.

Don't forget to leave flames, reviews, comments and questions.


	20. Trapped Brothers

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be a stripper.**

**Spoilers:**

**Warnings:**

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**Chapter 20: Trapped Brothers**

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"She's sending you where?"

"The Sand, and I don't know when I'll be back."

Lee sighed and sat down on his couch. He knew it. Just when their relationship was getting stronger, just when he had finally made Sakura his, she was being taken away.

"The Sand is a two day trip. I can come and visit you when I have a chance. I can write to you too."

Sakura moved to stand in front of Lee. "I know, but it won't be the same."

Lee reached out and grabbed Sakura's hips. He pulled her forward between his knees and looked up at her. "When do you leave?"

"End of the week."

Lee cursed under his breath and buried his face in Sakura's stomach. Sakura knew then that leaving Lee behind was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever have to do.

--

When Sasuke woke up he couldn't help but feel happy. It was the weekend and neither Naruto nor Sakura worked on the weekends. Even though Sakura didn't spend the night at home, he knew she would come back today. She always came back, almost like she was making up for lost time. He could eat some of her cooking. And Naruto, well he could train with him. Who knew maybe all three of them could train together. He missed training with them…..not that he would ever admit that to anyone.

After a quick shower Sasuke walked into the dining room and saw Naruto and Hinata at the table looking over some books.

"Hey Sasuke."

"Morning Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke grunted in return. He walked past them and was about to walk in the kitchen when Naruto spoke up.

"Sakura's going to be gone all day, something about explaining to Tsunade her duties. She wants to talk to us tonight, but I don't know what about. And I'm gonna be busy today."

Sasuke stopped and took a closer look at what Naruto and Hinata were reading. Much to his dismay all the books were wedding related. Without a second glance Sasuke walked back to his room. His good mood was ruined. He was going to be alone today. Again. Sasuke quickly gathered some weapons and headed for the front door.

"Hey what are your plans for today?"

"Training."

But before Naruto could say anything else Sasuke had already shut the front door. Hinata saw the troubled look on Naruto's face.

"Go talk to him."

"I'll talk to him tonight. He needs some time to cool down, or nothing is going to be solved."

Deciding not to push the issue Hinata turned back to the books. But after half an hour of looking at invitations, cakes, centerpieces, outfits, decorations, reservation dates, and trying to figure out how to plan a reception it quickly become obvious that planning the wedding by themselves was going to be too overwhelming. So instead they decided to hire a wedding planner. Hinata knew of one wedding planner who had a very good reputation. Naruto told her to go on ahead. He wanted to check on exactly how much money he had saved away. Jirayia and Iruka had given Naruto money to spend on the wedding since they both knew how little money he had to begin with.

--

Walking into the office of the wedding planner, Hinata was overwhelmed with table arrangements, and color combinations. She started walking around the room looking at all the different display tables.

"Hello." Hinata turned to see a tall, thin older woman. She had snow white hair and smile wrinkles, which made her look very friendly. "My name is Arris, and you must be Hyuuga Hinata."

"Yes I am." Hinata instantly felt at easy. The woman had a very soothing voice. Immediately Arris went about showing Hinata all the centerpieces and color arrangements. Hinata knew why Arris was enthusiastic, it wasn't everyday the future head of a clan gets married, much less a Hyuuga. But nonetheless, Arris was very nice.

The door jingled open and Hinata heard Naruto call for her.

"Oh he's here. Naruto I'm in the back." Hinata didn't fail to notice that the smile on Arris's face fell a bit. But she didn't have time to dwell on it as Naruto pecked her on the cheek and held her hand. Naruto immediately started commenting on the arrangements. Hinata told him she liked the one with the light purple flowers. But when Naruto turned to ask Arris a question about the arrangement, she wasn't there.

Thinking nothing of it Naruto walked toward another room, with Hinata behind him. But unlike Naruto, Hinata was worried. The couple found Arris sitting at a desk looking over some paperwork. Upon spotting them a smile instantly appeared on Arris's face.

"How can I help you?"

The couple sat in front of her desk and Hinata went about telling her how they plan to get married about two months after the chuunin exams. She also told Arris that they had some ideas about where they wanted to hold the wedding and the reception. Hinata placed a notebook on the desk, which Arris took and opened up. After a quick glance Arris placed the notebook back on the desk.

"I'm sorry, all those places are not available for reservation. I would know."

Naruto and Hinata look at her stunned. Naruto was the first to recover. "Oh, well do you know of any places that are available?"

Arris opened a drawer to her desk and pulled out a huge book labeled "Locations". "Yes, but they are awfully expensive."

"Oh well that shouldn't be a problem." Naruto quickly looked over at Hinata and smiled. "Dad and Ero-Sennin gave us a lot to work with."

Arris looked from Naruto to Hinata and back. She remained silent for a long time before leaning forward, as if to tell them a secret. "Have you two been engaged long?"

"About a month."

"Don't you two think you're rushing? I would hate to do any planning for the wedding not to happen."

Hinata could feel her face getting hot from anger. "You don't need to worry about that. He's the only one for me."

"I'm just saying you never know. You're both so young. Things happen, secrets could be revealed. And as a future clan leader, you should be careful."

"Arris-san, I think we're both—"

"Thank you Arris. We'll be going now."

Hinata quickly got up, grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him out of his chair. Naruto didn't know where Hinata was leading him, but he knew better than to question her. It was rare for her to be angry. But he knew what it was. It was the way Arris talked to them. The way she smiled as she tried to tear them down. The way she tried to plant the seed of doubt. It wasn't until they were in an empty training field that Naruto said anything.

"Hinata?"

Hinata didn't stop walking. She needed to hurt some trees. "The nerve of that woman. I don't want to go back there."

"But she's the best wedding planner in the village. We can't do this alone."

"We'll find someone else than. Anyone but her."

Naruto sighed and stopped walking. Since Hinata was still holding his hand she was forced to stop as well. "I'm used to it by now."

"I don't like it." Hinata turned and faced Naruto. "How can you let them treat you that way?"

"Remember when you told me to accept people for their good and their bad. If I want to be Hokage I have to love and take care of everyone; good and bad."

"But I don't like it. It hurts you."

Naruto smiled and let go of Hinata's hand. He shifted his weight and rubbed his elbow. "Naw, I'm used to it by now."

Hinata stepped closer to Naruto and gently cupped his cheek. "I know it hurts you. You're not made of stone Naruto. It's not good to keep it all inside."

Naruto wasn't sure if it was the tone of her voice, the look in her eyes or the words she said but he could feel the door slowly open within him. He had long ago shut that door. Kept inside were all his feelings of hurt. Not since he was young did he cry over the way the villagers treated him. He knew crying would accomplish nothing. But with Hinata, he felt like she was looking right at his soul.

"How long have you kept it all inside?"

Slowly Naruto closed the gap between them and buried his face in her neck. His tears were silent, but she knew he was crying. Hinata wrapped her arms around his shoulders and ran a hand up and down his back.

Without warning Naruto suddenly became scared. He felt like he was twelve again. He felt alone, sad and scared. All the feelings and insecurities he'd kept inside were coming to the surface. But Hinata was still there, so he clutched her. Hinata noticed the change in his demeanor. Turning her head she whispered in his ear, "I'm here. I'll always be here."

--

Laying down staring at the stars Naruto couldn't help but feel extreme joy over having Hinata in his life. He turned his head away from the sky and toward Hinata, who was lying next to him. He studied her face for a moment before she turned and looked at him. Smiling softly, Naruto leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. When he pulled back he noticed the strange look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not used to this."

"To what?"

"Being the one who comforts. You're the strong one."

Getting curious, Naruto propped himself up on his elbow. "Why am I the strong one?"

"Your everything I want to be. Confident, brave, motivational, you make promises and you keep them. You're an excellent ninja and a wonderful person."

"You're all those things too."

"No, I have little confidence, I'm shy, a coward…"

Now Naruto sat up on his knees. "No, your not. You're going to be head of a clan. That takes certain skills as both a person and a ninja. You're brave too, or do I have to remind you of what you told that Sound nin. You open up and admit your flaws, which takes courage. Few people can do that. Besides if I'm strong it's because of you."

"I don't understand."

"Before I started seeing you I wanted to be Hokage to prove to everyone how great I really was. To shut them all up. That's partially why I don't talk back to the villagers, because I was gonna show them. But then I started dating you. I fell in love and suddenly being Hokage took on a totally new meaning. I want to be Hokage to protect, not to show everyone. Being in love has given me a new outlook."

Hinata blushed and looked away. Naruto laughed and leaned down to nuzzle her neck. "Being Hokage will allow me to protect you better, as well as our family when we start one."

Hinata remained quiet for a moment before quietly saying "I want to start a family with you too." She could feel him smile against her neck. "They'll look like you, blonde and tanned."

Naruto sat back and laughed. "No they'll be dark haired and pale eyed. Or maybe blonde and pale." He laughed again at the face Hinata made at the image of such a pale child. "It's too soon to be talking about kids."

Hinata nodded and looked back up at the sky. While watching her, Naruto was suddenly overcome with emotion. He spent the whole day with her, and yet it wasn't enough. He wanted more. He lay down next to her and kissed her behind her ear. "God do I want to make love to you."

Blushing furiously, Hinata sat up. "Naruto, not until we're married."

"I know. But a whole year." Naruto groaned and threw himself onto his back. Hinata laughed at his antics and the fake look of hurt he shoot her. Hinata stood up and stretched her back. She turned and looked down at Naruto, who was watching her. She reached out with her foot and kicked his hip.

"You're it."

Before he had a chance to get up, she was gone. Smiling he stood in the clearing and tilted his head up a bit. A moment later he took off running to the right.

Five minutes later a genin team coming home from their mission heard the sound of a woman laughing hysterically and a man yelling, "You're it!"

--

Sasuke was stargazing on the roof. When he had gotten home the place was empty and there was note on the door. Sakura was going to be home late tonight, but she would bring dinner with her. So here he was, waiting for someone to get home. He knew Naruto was home when he heard someone making a lot of noise as they climbed up to the roof. Sasuke shook his head. 'Some Anbu.'

After finally making it to the roof, Naruto simply sat down next to Sasuke and took in the view. "Ne, Sasuke do you think me getting married is a bad idea?"

"Are you backing out?"

"No. I'm going to marry her even if it kills me. I just want to know what you think."

"Why?"

"Just answer the question. Gods are you a difficult bastard."

"I see the way you look at each other, and the way you look when you talk about her. It leaves me no doubt that what you feel for her is real. I see the way she's changed you."

"How has she changed me?"

"You're calmer."

Naruto looked at Sasuke with the most innocent look he could muster. "Mature?"

Sasuke stood up and cracked his back before answering. "She's not a miracle worker." He got a punch in the leg as a response.

--

Just like the note said, Sakura got home late that night with dinner. Naruto couldn't help but notice how tired she looked. Dinner was eaten in silence. The air was too heavy. It left both Sasuke and Naruto wondering what the problem could be. After dinner all three of them set about putting away the leftovers, washing dishes, and cleaning counters. As Sakura was rinsing a cup the words finally came to her.

"I'm leaving." Silence fell upon the room as Naruto and Sasuke stopped what they were doing. "Tsunade is sending me to the Sand to help them. They don't have properly trained medical nins."

"For how long?" Sasuke's voice was deep with emotion.

"I don't know."

"And Lee?"

"He's not happy." Once again there was silence, which was broken when Sakura dropped the cup she was holding. Naruto rushed to her as she broke down crying. He almost carried her to the living room. The whole time she was crying and talking incoherently about Lee.

"Naruto you understand don't you? I don't want to leave him. Not after we've just…" Again she broke down crying.

Naruto did the only thing he knew, he sat down next to her and hugged her. She turned her body and cried on his shoulder. When Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, he was shocked to see Sasuke was heading toward the door.

Unlike Naruto, Sasuke didn't know how to react. He didn't like seeing Sakura cry; he didn't seeing anyone cry. He knew Naruto wouldn't be able to stop her tears. But as Sasuke walked to Lee's apartment, he couldn't help but feel angry with him. Why did he let her come over in such an emotional state? Did he not know how she was feeling? Did he not understand that they were powerless to comfort her?

When Lee opened his front door, Sasuke punched him, picked him up off the ground and dragged him out of the apartment. Lee was initially shocked. He didn't really understand what was going on, but he could tell from Sasuke's reaction that he didn't intend to kill him. Still it had been a long time since the Sharingan had been directed at him.

When the pair reached the front door to the Uchiha house Sasuke shoved Lee toward the door. "Make her stop crying. Now." Lee didn't say a word as he walked into the house. A few seconds later Naruto walked out and joined Sasuke.

"I want to train. Now."

"I take it I don't have a choice?"

"No." Sasuke turned and stalked toward the nearest training ground.

"Thought so……….bastard."

--

Naruto looked in the mirror after brushing his teeth. He thought to himself that he should at least brush the bed hair look out, but decided not to. He could do that later. As he walked down the hall he stopped at Sakura's room to peek inside. She was running around packing things like a woman possessed. Since she was in her room, that meant Sasuke was the one in kitchen cooking breakfast.

When Sakura turned to grab something off her bed she spotted Naruto in the doorway. "Lee was summoned on a mission." The words came out of her mouth a mile a minute.

"O….k…."

"Just wanted to make sure you weren't going to find him and punch him."

"You know he didn't mean any harm. He just didn't know how to comfort you. He redirected his anger, wrongly, but still."

"I know." Sakura paused in her packing to look at Naruto. "Look I'm sorry. I wanted to be here and help Hinata with the wedding."

"It's okay." Naruto turned to look down the hall before walking up to Sakura. He had a devilish smile on his face as he approached her. He motioned for her to come closer, as he leaned in and cupped his hands around her ears. "Don't tell anyone but Hinata already decided on bride maids and you made the cut."

Sakura jumped back and squealed. Naruto quickly waved his arms in the air as he tried shushing her.

--

Tsunade, Kakashi, Iruka, few medical nins and the original rookie nine, with the exception of Lee, turned out to wish Sakura a safe trip. Temari was gratuitous enough to stand off to side so as to allow Sakura to say her last farewells. Tsunade knew that she should probably rush Sakura, but she didn't have the heart. She watched as her apprentice went around giving hugs and making promises to write. When she was finally done, Tsunade signaled for the Anbu to come down and escort Sakura and Temari to the Sand.

When they landed Tsunade motioned for the female Anbu. Making sure no one was near, she told the Anbu to "take their time". The Anbu simply nodded and stepped back. As they left Naruto couldn't help but notice that one of the Anbu had a bear mask and a really long black braid. As Tsunade walked past him he reached out and grabbed her forearm.

"Thank you for that."

Tsunade looked at Naruto from the corner of her eye. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

--

After searching and visiting all the other wedding planners in the village, Naruto and Hinata finally decided on one. Her name was Mika. She was young and easily stressed out, but she got the job done. Most of the basics had already been decided on, all Mika had to do was put the whole thing together, which was easier said than done. Any major decisions were to be made by Hinata, since Naruto's squad was going to be gone on a mission.

But before Naruto left they announced who were going to be part of the wedding court. Hinata's maids were going to be Sakura, TenTen, Ino and Hanabi was going to be the Maid of Honor. Lee, Neji, and Shikamaru also made the cut, with Sasuke as the Man of Honor. Even though Kiba didn't make the cut, Naruto heard that he was already planning a bachelor party.

Back in Konoha, Hinata was extremely happy with Mika. She had begun piecing together the wedding outfits for those on the wedding court. She even took the time to visit Sakura in the Sand and get her measurements. Hinata knew she wouldn't have been able to do all that, since the chuunin exams were once again coming up. That could only mean one thing, jounin promotions were also coming up. She would have to train extra hard these next few months to show everyone she had what it took to be a jounin.

Sakura kept her promise and wrote to Lee, Naruto and Sasuke every week. She said that the people in the villagers were a bit distant, but after saving a few lives they warmed up to her. She also said that Gaara, Temari and Kankuro are being really nice to her. As a matter of fact, she said, when Gaara found out why Mika had come to visit he invited himself to the wedding. At least now Sakura knew she was going to have great security on her trip back to the Leaf for the wedding.

--

A few days later Naruto's squad finally left for their first long term mission. They were to go to the Hidden Rain and found out as much as possible about a dead nin that lived there. Naruto was very excited about the whole thing. Upon arriving, Raido split the squad into two teams. Team one would consist of Naruto and Raido, while team two consisted of everyone else. Team two would enter the village as commoners and try to establish themselves so they could extract information from the people. Team one would be gathering information covertly. Raido said that the reason for that was he and Naruto looked too suspicious to be common folk. Naruto didn't mind though, he actually liked this assignment better. There would be more excitement.

First thing was to figure out where to start. The mission report had little information on the ninja they were supposed to learn about. Some small information gathering finally directed them to a village not far from where the Hidden Rain was located. Posing as a small family looking for a new place to settle, team two went about looking for a house with gossipy neighbors. Raido and Naruto watched from the sidelines. As soon as the team found the right house, Raido and Naruto left. Raido knew of some mercenaries that he could milk for information. But finding them would take a while.

--

Just like everyone else Sasuke was also training. He wanted to make sure he made Anbu this time. Training with Shino was helping. Sakura was gone, and Naruto had a mission. He knew he wasn't exactly inviting, so no one would feel the urge to visit him. He wished someone would come over though.

He could stand being alone. Loneliness was not an emotion he wasn't used to. But it had been a long time since it was this strong. Loneliness he could deal with. What he couldn't deal with was the house. It was too quiet, too empty. After so many years the house was alive again with the sounds of laughter, cooking, and life in general. It was serving its purpose as a house. But now, all the ghosts that used to haunt the house when Sasuke lived there alone were coming back.

At night it was worse. Instead of the sounds of Naruto snoring, or Sakura humming as she brushed her hair, Sasuke would hear footsteps. He knew no one was in the house though. Sometimes he would hear a whisper of his mothers voice coming from the kitchen. Or he would catch a glimpse of his father's robes as he turned a corner.

Times like those he was tempted to leave the house and visit Kakashi. He knew the man had ghosts of his own to deal with. But then he would think against it. He didn't need Kakashi to look at him with a knowing look. A look that would tell Sasuke, "I know why you're here." So Sasuke would simply ignore the sounds, he would ignore the glimpses. He would blame it on shadows, the weather, hunger, sleep, anything but his memories.

But then one morning as he was leaving the house he felt a sudden sharp sting on his forehead. The impact made him take a step back. That morning he decided he would visit Kakashi. Just as he predicted Kakashi opened the door and let him in like he was waiting for Sasuke to come over. The pair drank tea and talked about ninja topics; jutsu's and the Sharingan mostly. Kakashi even went as far as to offer to train with Sasuke. Sasuke couldn't help but think that maybe, like everything else Kakashi did, that he had an ulterior motive to inviting Sasuke to train with him. But that was fine; training with Kakashi could only help Sasuke. So he informed Shino, who was all right with the decision since it would allow him to help out Kiba and Hinata more.

Just when Sasuke was falling into some sort of a routine there was a knock on his door. Not only was he surprised that someone had actually come to see him, he was nearly floored to see it was Hinata. Turns out she had come to fetch him for a formal kimono fitting for the wedding. All the guys in the wedding court had to go. So there he was, half naked with three other half naked men with people pulling and measuring. To make matters worse women kept coming into the shop to have a peek at them. Some even had the courage to throw catcalls at them. A few times Sasuke felt his Sharingan flare. Shikamaru would sigh heavily, Lee would blush, Neji simply ignored them. But Sasuke noticed that Neji's ears were slightly pink. Needless to say, by the time the whole horrible ordeal was over Sasuke was beyond extremely irritated.

When he got home, he didn't want to go back outside. But he did need to channel his anger into something. If Naruto were home, a quick argument with him would have been enough. If Sakura were home he would have arm wrestled with her. But they weren't here to help him.

As he looked around, Sasuke realized the house hadn't been cleaned in a long time. That was how he would channel his anger, by killing germs and getting rid of dust. He started in his room first. But that didn't take very long. Next he moved to Naruto's room, which was a complete disaster. There were clothes, and weapons everywhere. Sasuke gathered all the clothes into a hamper to be washed later. As he started picking up the scattered weapons, Sasuke got down on the floor to look under the bed. Much to his surprise there was only one thing under the bed, a small box. Curious, Sasuke pulled the box out and opened it. What he saw inside made him drop the box as if it had burned his hands. There were two letters. Two letters he immediately recognized. Sasuke quickly covered the box and shoved it back under the bed.

He never finished cleaning that day. Instead he spent the rest of the day on the roof thinking that maybe not all the ghosts that haunted people were dead.

--

It took a lot of digging around, but the Anbu squad had learned a lot about the Rain nin. Turns out the nin possessed a strange power, yet he wasn't from any powerful clans or bloodlines. Well not any anyone knew about. He had no parents, only an older brother. But whenever the topic of the older brother came up, people would say that they didn't know anything about him. Thankfully after a very lucky break the squad had finally been able to uncover who had kidnapped the nin. Raido and Naruto had spent a few weeks tracking the bandit down before finding him in a very sleazy looking town.

After some short research it became apparent the bandit liked women and liquor. Raido had seen enough, he told Naruto that today they were to capture the bandit and interrogate him. But currently the man was inside a bar, and it didn't look like he was going to be leaving anytime soon. As Naruto got comfortable, he heard Raido curse. The bandit could be in there for hours, if not days depending on how much money he had. It was then Naruto got a brilliant idea. From their perch on a nearby roof top, Naruto moved back out of view and called Raido.

"Captain, I can get him to come with me."

"What makes you think that?"

Naruto smiled and used a jutsu he hadn't used in years. He knew he had done a good job when Raido smiled and shook him head in disbelief.

"I won't ask why you know a jutsu that turns you into a woman. I'll give you ten minutes to get him out. Lead him to the abandoned cabin in the woods."

Naruto nodded and jumped down from the roof. Inside the bar, Naruto spotted the bandit immediately. He was almost completely drunk and had a red headed girl sitting in his lap. Naruto approached the bandit and began to flirt outrageously with him. Within minutes the bandit kicked the red head out of his lap and told Naruto he wanted to go somewhere more private. Naruto said he knew just the place.

Arm in arm, Naruto led the bandit to the cabin. When the bandit entered he stop cold in his tracks at the sight of Raido inside. He turned to ask what was going on, but was once again shocked when the gorgeous blonde turned into a tall man.

Within seconds the pair had the bandit tied to a chair. Raido was to do the interrogating as Naruto stood by the door and watched. At first the bandit refused to talk. But Raido was unrelenting and within half an hour the bandit was telling Raido everything.

As it turns out the bandit wasn't the one who had kidnapped the Rain nin. He was only hired to find the nin for a group of ninja that wore all black and no identifying marks. When he asked where they were from, the ninjas refused to affiliate themselves with anyone. He said he was present though when the kidnapping occurred. He said the unaffiliated ninjas mentioned that they were to return the Rain nin unharmed for their master. After giving as much description as possible on the ninjas, Raido stepped behind the bandit and looked at Naruto. Naruto didn't break eye contact as Raido quickly snapped the bandits neck.

"He would have snitched on us."

Naruto simply nodded as Raido picked up the body. After disposing of it, the pair went back to the village where the other half of the squad was located. Upon arriving they told Raido that they had been trying to find out who the nin's older brother was. But they had been unsuccessful. Raido told them it was alright, then he proceeded to update them on his findings. As he talked, he noticed Naruto was thinking intently.

"You know something?"

"It was something the bandit said. It sounded familiar, but I can't place it. Give me a second."

Raido nodded and continued to update the squad. Naruto on the other hand kept running over one phrase the bandit had overheard the unaffiliated ninjas say. "Too bad, as an orphan he would have been welcomed in our village." Naruto knew he had heard that somewhere; a village that welcomed orphans. Who had told him that? Lee, Kakashi, Jirayia, Tsunade, Iruka, Hinata, Sasuke…..sasuke….sa….sakura – SAKURA!

"I know." Naruto startled his team with his small outburst. "Sakura told me that when she was treating the Sound nin after the last chuunin exam that he said the Sounds accepts orphans. No questions asked."

Raido's face instantly went serious. "Okay. We're going home then. We need authorization when it comes to the Sound. We leave tonight, so pack quickly."

--

Sasuke stared at the letter in his hands. Of all the assignments, and of all the titles available to him, he had to get this one. He had been assigned Anko's job in the chuunin exam. He would now be in charge of the second part of the exam; the Forest of Death.

Great.

To make matters worse, he had to attend some sort of meeting to discuss all the rules and regulations. The letter stated that all three positions in the exam had been changed. Even worse he was to study and know everything there was to know about the Forest of Death.

Double great.

How in the world was Sasuke supposed to become an Anbu member if he had this to deal with? This was going to seriously eat up his training time. The letter bluntly stated that denial of this title would result in a lifelong ninja level freeze.

Well shit.

Sasuke slammed the door shut, walked to his room and was about to slam his fist into the wall when he heard a noise from inside the house. For a moment he thought it was his ghosts, but his gut told him otherwise. Silently, Sasuke put the letter down and pulled out a kunai. He had no idea where the person was because they were doing a good job at hiding themselves. Activating his Sharingan, he slowly opened the door to Sakura's room. Nothing. The next room was Naruto's. Just as he was about to place his hand on the door to open it, he heard the person leave through the bedroom window. In an instant Sasuke threw the door open and leaped out the window.

Sasuke chased the person for a few moments before he spotted them jump from one tree to another. Not wanting to lose them, Sasuke threw the kunai he held. He heard metal hitting metal and then everything went silent. Sasuke stopped tree hoping and dropped down to a low dark tree branch. Even though he couldn't see the person, he knew they had stopped running. Sasuke listened for any sign of them, but all he heard were birds chirping. He had been still for so long, a small bird landed on the branch next to him. Taking a chance Sasuke leaned forward to try and peek around the tree trunk. That's when he felt it. The tree branch dipped a bit from the addition of weight and there was a kunai at his throat. The bird next to him flew away.

Two thoughts ran through his mind; one was "you idiot" and the other was "escape and fight". But before he could do anything the person behind him pushed him off the branch. As he fell Sasuke twisted so he could land on his feet and jump back into a better position. Yet when he landed the person landed in front of him and pushed him back. Sasuke stumbled and tripped over a tree root.

"What the hell is your problem? Now I have to get new pants!"

Sasuke looked up just in time to see Naruto pull his mask off. He looked down at Naruto's legs and through the slash in the fabric he could see the glint of metal.

"Why can't you use the front door like normal people?"

"Because I was in a hurry. Now if you don't mind I'm going to be late." Naruto pulled his mask back on and turned around. But before he jumped back into the trees he said, "I'll be home for dinner."

--

Naruto watched Tsunade's reaction as Raido told her everything. He had to give it to her; she was good. Not once did she betray an emotion. Her face was etched with concentration and attention. When Raido was done, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.

"Thank you for the hard work. You gathered more information than I had anticipated. Take some time off. As for the information you told me, tell no one. You are dismissed."

Slightly peeved that she didn't hint at what she was planning to do, Naruto headed to the Anbu headquarters. Whenever they went on missions all their mail was to be forwarded to the headquarters. As always Naruto got the least amount of mail. One letter from Sakura, she said she would wait for his reply before sending more, one note from Hinata, "come see me no matter the time", and lastly one unmarked letter. When Naruto opened it there was only one line inside.

"We can help you tame the demon within."

Naruto scoffed at the letter, crumpled it up and threw it away. He didn't need any help.

--

It was dark by the time Tsunade made her way to the ninja prison. Two guards escorted her to the section that housed the dangerous ninjas. Near the end of the hall was the cell she was looking for. Inside sat a longhaired, dirty, one armed ninja.

"Roiyaru."

"What do you want?"

"You have a younger brother don't you?"

Roiyaru stiffened and slowly turned toward Tsunade. "No."

"He was very strong wasn't he." Roiyaru remained silent. "He didn't want to go to the Sound did he? Did he disown you?"

In an instant Roiyaru was up and had his hand around Tsunade's throat. Tsunade didn't even flinch, but the two guards rushed forward anyway.

"Stop!" At Tsuande's command the guards stopped their advance and after a moment went back to their posts. "That's it isn't it? Why did you want to leave the Rain?"

"He could have been great. He had the potential. But the Rain didn't have what we needed, what he needed."

"He had a demon didn't he?"

"With the proper training, the right teachers and in the correct environment he could have learned to harness it to its full potential."

"Orochimaru knew?"

"Orochimaru knew more about everything than you could imagine. I knew he could help us."

"Kabuto did the research?"

"Kabuto-sensei is also very knowledgeable. He told me he could help my brother. That all he needed to do was a small study so he could help my brother."

Tsunade remained silent. She knew Orochimaru knew a lot about demon vessels from his time with Akatsuki. More than likely he passed on this information to Kabuto. This was why Kabuto made the comment to her once that he knew more about Naruto than anyone. But was Kabuto working with the Akatsuki, or against them? Would they still go after Sakura or try to get Naruto?

"Why do you ask about my brother?"

Tsunade looked at Roiyaru, and for a brief moment she felt pity towards him. He had been manipulated and used. It wasn't his fault he turned out the way he did, nor was it his brothers. "You brother was killed."

Roiyaru released his hold on Tsunade's neck and took a step back. "What?"

"He was found with the demon taken out of him." Roiyaru paled and looked away. "Was anyone after him Roiyaru?"

Instead of answering, Roiyaru began destroying his cell. Tsunade sighed ad walked away. As she walked down the hall she could hear him yelling, "No", "Why", and "I'm so stupid". Tsunade knew that Roiyaru knew the killers. But he probably wouldn't tell her now. Not that she needed him too since she had a fairly good idea as well. Upon reaching her office she sent for two jounins. It was time to find and talk to Jirayia.

--

Sasuke spent dinner bitching about the wedding outfits. Naruto, of course, laughed the whole time. It was just to easy to tease Sasuke about the whole thing. Even though Naruto was only making him even more annoyed, Sasuke didn't complain. It was good to have someone back in the house with him.

"Where's Hinata?"

"Oh she got assigned a mission while I was with her. Nothing major."

"Just her?"

"No, Kiba went with her."

Sasuke watched Naruto take a sip of his drink. "Do you know if the Anbu are going to be looking for new members?"

"Don't worry I'll put in a good word for you."

"I don't need you put in anything for me." Sasuke reached into his pocket and fisted the letter inside and pulled it out. "I ask because of this."

Naruto took the letter from Sasuke, opened it up and read it. A huge smile broke out half way through the letter. When he was done he handed the letter back. "That's great. Take it."

"How can I be Anbu and do this at the same time?"

"I thought you were supposed to be a genius?" Naruto could tell by the look Sasuke shot him that he was seriously resisting the urge to throw something at him. "People with in the Anbu have freedom. This in only one day, you can still be Anbu and do this. Then if you decide to stop Anbu, you'll still have this to do."

Sasuke leaned forward on the table and arched an eyebrow. "When you say freedom, what do you mean?"

"Well you can join squads, or go solo. Squads are encouraged for new comers to learn and gain experience. To go solo you have to talk with your captain." Naruto studied Sasuke for a moment. They hadn't really touched on this subject yet, and Naruto was extremely curious. "What do you want to do when you join?"

Unsure of how to answer, Sasuke looked at Naruto then at his food. "What do you mean?"

"Well I don't think you'll be placed in my squad, and if I go solo I might not get missions with you. Then again, I could talk to someone about letting the two of us form our own squad together, " Naruto watched Sasuke lift his head to look at him, "or we can form our own two man team."

"What's required?"

"I'll ask Raido, my captain."

Sasuke simply nodded and returned to his food. When they had finished their food, the pair cleaned the table and started cleaning the kitchen, which was a complete disaster. Sasuke was in the middle of making dinner when Naruto had gotten back. Between the two of them they managed to dirty almost every single pan in the house. So, once again between the two of them they went about cleaning the kitchen. Sasuke was washing dishes and Naruto was wiping down the counter, the cabinets, the floor and parts of the ceiling.

"Have you heard from Sakura?"

Naruto paused in his ceiling-cleaning mission to answer. "Yeah. I got a letter from her. She says they've been real nice to her over in the Sand. The wedding planner even went to see her."

"Are you nervous?"

Even though Sasuke hadn't specified what it was that could make Naruto nervous, they both knew what he was talking about. The wedding, which was quickly approaching.

"Not yet."

--

About a week later Jirayia appeared in Tsunade's office with Hinata and Kiba in toe. Kiba had a huge toothy grin and Hinata an almost permit blush. By the looks of them, Tsunade didn't really need to ask where they had found Jirayia. Not that she wanted to know anyway. What the old hermit did during his research was for him to know and no one else to find out.

When Tsunade was alone with Jirayia she updated him on everything Naruto's team had discovered. Jirayia got up from his seat and went toward the window. As Tsunade finished up, he pulled out his pipe and started smoking it. Tsunade remained silent as she waited for Jirayia's opinion.

"Orochimaru must have known something and passed it on to Kabuto, who probably studied and experimented. But for what purpose I don't know?"

Tsunade already knew all that, what she wanted to know was what the heck was going on outside her walls. She wanted to know what Jirayia knew. "Do you think Kabuto is working with them?"

"I doubt it. The Akatsuki likes to work within their ranks. If anything they're probably still licking their wounds after their failed Sand attack."

Tsunade got up from her seat and went over to her small liquor cabinet. She pulled out a sake bottle and two cups. Even though Jirayia was still smoking his pipe, she knew he would join her. As she poured herself a drink it suddenly hit her. "It all makes sense now. Kabuto planned it all out. He made the peace treaty so he could mobilize and continue his research."

"But you knew he would mobilize." Tsunade threw Jirayia a knowing look. "Look, this is what I think. The victim Shikamaru found, the Mist nin who was near death, he was killed by the Sound. The nin I found, from the Rain, was done by the Akatsuki. I think they're competing against each other, and the Sound is losing."

"That all depends on what they were trying to learn." Tsunade took a sip of her sake and groaned. She knew that all that was going on could only mean one thing; keep an eye on Sakura and Naruto.

* * *

Well there it is. Sorry it took so long to get this out, life sorta caught up with me. Also my beta has started school again, so she hasn't been able to give this a look over. But I didn't want to keep all of you waiting. So I apologize for the mistakes. Also I had responded to half the reviews when my computer decided to eat them, so they aren't as good as I would have liked.

And just because I don't think I have enough on my plate I've created a fanfic community similar to 30 kisses, which by the way is awesome. The link is in my profile and it's called 20 loves. I know cheesy, go figure.

**FF Reviews**

**JohnnyG** – Thanks, I'll try.

**Aznpuffyhair** – Love the SN by the way. Don't really know which names you want to know though, so I can't help you there. Oh and don't worry Sasuke will have a love life of some sort, soon……er maybe, yeah don't worry I'm getting there.

**Dragon Man 180** – Poor Sakura indeed. As for Naruto, when the Akatsuki is involved its hard to keep him under control anyway.

**Nonengel** – Thanks for the comment on the chapter and I'm glad you liked the lemon.

**Pale Rider** – I talked to my beta, and she told me the same thing I was thinking, I don't think I'll ever be able to make you happy. The idea of that makes me upset. I've tried to write the fic the way I've imagined it, the way I want it to go, while still keeping you in mind. So far all the reviews you've given me I've taken in stride and thought over. This last one though did bother me. It left me feeling like a painter being told what to paint, which I didn't like. It's one thing to critique and it's another to tell me what to focus on. I know you meant well, but it made me a bit mad. Please don't take this the wrong way. I want you to continue to read and review. But if you honestly don't like my fic, I'm sorry about that. I never claimed to be a master. This fic is my first, so bare with me.

**Dexo23** – Forgot, me….NEVER! But I'm glad you're paying attention, enough to point out something like that.

**Da Squeakz** – Well you've just given me everything. I think you should update yours. Hopefully by now you have.

**Jakkun** – Thanks for pointing that out. I was never very good at spelling, and with my horrible typing skills that was bound to happen. Out of curiosity where exactly did you find me?

**Shinobi36** – Ahhh my dear friend. How I miss Naruto-nin. I'm glad I was the one to damage your mind. I didn't write about Neji, cause well honestly it didn't matter. Yeah the Shino, Sasuke thing, I put them together momentary cause I had no where else to stick them.

**FallingStAr** – I'LL TRY!

**AnnieThePipster** – Cute name. I'm glad you're a Lee/Saku fan.

**Thestoneox** – I'm glad you are enjoying the story, and I hope this chapter was what you were waiting for.

**AFF Reviews**

**Jbrock** – You review so many times it's hard for me to keep track here. Let's see…Shino and Sasuke a couple – NO! No yaoi in this fic, sorry. Temari and Shikamaru, ummm, don't know. I'm not gonna get involved there. You read it again, wow. And shishou means teacher.

**Zendura** – Naruto and Sasuke against the Akatsuki, yeah that would be good. Gotta work it all out in my head first. Most of my battle plans come to me as I'm trying to sleep. Sasuke will get some loving, it's gonna take me a while to get there though. I don't know how many are allowed. And no you are not.

**Church** – Wow, I'm glad you wasted your time and enjoyed it in the end. Thanks, but I'm not exactly a dude. Then again most fic authors aren't either, at least from my experience.

**Meilin** – Strange how there aren't that many nonSasuNaru fics out there. Then again it's kinda like DUH! I did write a SasuNaru one shot if you're interested. It's posted on the website too.

**Media Miner Reviews**

**Didi kat** – I'm glad you're enjoying my plot twists. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Makokam** – It's because there are better fics out there. I kinda agree with you on the house, I should have thought that point out more. But oh well. Lol again with the Sasuke needs love. I'm getting there. Don't worry. He gets laid too.


	21. One step for her One giant leap for them

**EDIT – OMG did this chapter need to be proof read badly. I was so embarrassed when I looked it over. I apologize for the horrible grammar. **

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be a stripper.**

**Spoilers: None**

**Warnings: Strong language**

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**Chapter 21: One step for her; one giant leap for them all**

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When Naruto and Sasuke got home from their training, Hinata was at the house. She was making them lunch. The house smelled of food again. Sasuke took a moment to let the smell sink in. With Sakura gone, it had been a long time since the house had smelled like a home.

"Welcome home boys. Hungry?"

Sasuke followed Naruto into the kitchen. Hinata had made them a some soup and some salad. Nothing grand, but it was food nonetheless. Naruto smiled and gave her a small peck on the cheek. Hinata blushed and shoved him away.

"Go on sit down."

The boys obeyed and moved into the dinning room. Naruto reached for his cup when he noticed just how dirty his arms were. When scrubbing them roughly with the table napkin didn't work, Naruto stood up and went to the bathroom. Soap was required for this one. Sasuke on the other hand stayed. He wasn't anywhere as dirty as Naruto. Hinata entered the room after Naruto had left. She placed the food on the table and sat down across from Sasuke.

"I'm sorry for not coming here sooner."

Sasuke didn't say anything. He didn't even change his facial expression, but on the inside he was confused as all hell. He just stared at her as if he was looking at a bowl of soup.

"I promised myself that I would try to take care of all those important to him. I know you're very independent and I didn't know how to uh…" Hinata lowered her gaze not knowing how to continue.

"I don't need someone to take care of me."

Hinata laughed lightly. "Sakura said you would say that." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Girls talk Sasuke, just like you talk to Naruto."

Sasuke responded with a grunt.

"Look all I'm saying is that this anger or whatever it is has to go. You're important to Naruto and I respect that. You're always gonna be there for him, for that I'm glad. He can count on you. I'm not asking you to be that way with me. I just want to be your friend, and that in return you respect my role in his life."

She lifted her head when Sasuke didn't say anything in return. Sasuke was still looking at her. He had to admit, she was brave. Sasuke looked away from her and inside made himself busy by dusting his pants. He knew deep down inside he didn't want to make things difficult for Naruto. Maybe he could try. When Naruto walking in a few seconds later, they all started to eat. As soon as Sasuke was done he started to get up, but from under the table Naruto stepped on his foot. Sasuke glared at him then sat back down.

"Hinata, me and Sasuke are thinking of starting our own squad with the Anbu."

Hinata instantly sat up straighter and smiled brightly. "Really, that would be wonderful. It'll be more convenient than both of you being on different squads with different schedules."

"Do you think they'll let us?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Because of who we are." Both Naruto and Hinata turned to look at Sasuke. Hinata shook her head and smiled. "And what is that? Strong, talented, independent ninja's who work best together than with anyone else?"

"Hinata…"

"No Naruto, it's true. You two work very well together. You may work well with others, but together there are few that could compete with you two."

"That is true." Hinata gave Sasuke a thank you look, while Naruto smiled at him. Maybe being friendly with Hinata wouldn't be as hard as he thought.

"Don't go getting a big head now Sasuke."

"I'll have you know the size of my head is completely normal. Yours on the other hand…"

Hinata giggled, and Naruto pouted at both of them. "Hey double teaming is against the rules."

"I didn't know there were rules."

"There are now."

Sasuke got up from the table and gathered the dirty dishes. As he walked past Naruto he stopped and leaned closer. "I give you an hour before you break your own rules."

Again, Hinata giggled.

--

The following morning over breakfast, Sasuke discussed with Naruto his plans for the day.

"Tomorrow I have to go to this chuunin exam meeting since the exams are in six months. So I was thinking that maybe today we could go see your captain."

So after breakfast the pair went to Raido's apartment to have a little chat. Turns out Raido was having coffee with Genma, which Naruto found strange. The two didn't seem to be coffee drinking friends, much less normal friends. After greetings were passed around, Naruto sat down and took a deep breath.

"Captain, I had a question. When Sasuke joins the Anbu can the two of us work as a two man squad?"

Genma instantly started laughing, which hurt Naruto's feelings. Did Genma think Sasuke couldn't join, or that a two man team was a bad idea? Raido smiled and took a sip of his coffee. "Getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we, but that's okay. Anything like that has to be approved by the head of the Anbu."

"Okay then give me your opinion on it."

Raido leaned back in his chair and studied both of them. He then turned to Genma. Apparently they told each other what they thought with their eyes, because Naruto and Sasuke sure as hell didn't hear them say anything to each other. It occurred to Naruto that maybe he and Sasuke did that as well, speaking without talking, and just didn't know it.

"I don't see how the Anbu wouldn't benefit from having you two join. Small teams are sometimes needed. The only set back would be that there isn't a captain."

"What if we both become captains?" Naruto nodded at Sasuke's suggestion. Both of them being captains meant there wouldn't be any power struggles, well at least not too many. Raido on the other hand looked at them both with another hard look in his eyes.

"Are you two really serious about this?" They both nodded. "Okay look I can give you this." Raido stood and went to a nearby dresser. After searching around he pulled out an old tattered notebook. "This is the handbook my captain gave me when I wanted to take the exam. Use this to prepare. The captain exams are held around the same time as the chuunin exams that way all promotions are made at the same time."

"Do you think you both will be prepared in six months?" Genma leaned forward and placed his elbows on his legs. Even in this scrutinizing position he looked relaxed and disinterested.

"We only need two." Even though Sasuke sounded cocky, he didn't exactly feel that way. He had no clue what to expect. But once they got home they both sat down and started looking over the handbook. Naruto would read it out loud, and Sasuke would take note of things they would have to work on. Sasuke knew his limits as well as Naruto's, which was funny when he thought about it. As rivals they should keep things like that secret. Sasuke was brought back from his thoughts when Naruto waved a hand in front of his face. Sasuke shrugged him off.

By the time they stopped it was 1am. As Sasuke rubbed his eyes in bed he knew if they were really desperate they could ask Kakashi for help. He would never turn them down. But he would make things difficult with his strange training techniques. Asking him would be a last ditch effort.

--

The next morning, Sasuke and Naruto got up early and continued studying the handbook. Sasuke looked up at a nearby clock and saw that it was almost time for him to leave for his meeting. As Sasuke left, Naruto was still looking over the handbook and the notes Sasuke had taken. Naruto looked strange to Sasuke with his face etched in concentration. He actually looked intelligent. Sasuke smirked, unknowingly, as he left. Maybe Naruto did have what it took to be Hokage.

Sasuke felt nostalgic as he walked into the room where the first part of the chuunin exam were always held. Inside all three examiners were present, Anko, Genma, and Hibiki. Tsunade and Shikamaru were also there. Sasuke walked to the front of the room and sat next to Shikamaru, who was leaning back in his chair and looked like he was asleep. Tsunade looked out the window and sighed.

"We're waiting for one more person."

Sasuke leaned back just like Shikamaru and was just about to get comfortable when the doors were thrown open. A tall jounin wearing small sunglasses and short black hair stumbled in.

"Sorry I'm late."

Sasuke instantly recognized the ninja. He was the one who had spilled the beans about Kakashi being defeated by Itachi all those years ago. Sasuke clinched his fist at the memory, but quickly relaxed. This was not the time to be remembering those things or people.

"It's okay sit down." Tsunade got up and walked around the desk. "Now you might be wondering why I have decided to replace the old examiners? I felt it was time for some fresh faces."

"We're not that old, right guys." Anko nudged both Hibiki and Genma, who ignored her.

Tsunade also ignored Anko and handed Sasuke, Shikamaru and Aoba three large scrolls. "These are the rules for the entire exam. Included are also some very impressive statistics. Memorize the whole thing. Now the former examiners will be going over some tricks of the trade with you individually."

Aoba walked over to Genma, Shikamaru to Hibiki and Anko waved Sasuke over to the door. Sasuke followed her out the room and to the Forest of Death. Once outside the gate, Anko sat down on a nearby rock. Sasuke couldn't help but notice how much more at place she seemed here than she did indoors.

"Okay, you gotta learn every animal, every hiding place, and every danger inside the forest."

"Memorize it in other words."

"Yup. You have to in case we have to do an emergency evacuation or if someone happens to sneak in."

Sasuke turned and gave her a knowing look. Anko raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in acknowledgement. She also scratched her neck, something Sasuke assumed she wasn't aware she was doing. "Do I patrol inside or outside?"

"Outside. The less contact with the genins the better. But you have to make sure everyone signs the release forms. Only those who sign are allowed to enter, and that everyone is accounted for at the end."

Sasuke noted that she didn't say everyone is accounted for alive. "Can I bring someone with me to learn the area?"

"I would recommend it."

--

Sasuke entered the house to find Naruto still looking over the handbook, except this time Hinata was with him. Hinata had taken over his job.

"So how did it go?"

"It was fine."

Sasuke took off his shoes and approached the table. Hinata looked up and grabbed a near by stack of papers full of her writing. "I was helping Naruto. Luckily a lot of the things you have to learn seem pretty simple. Most of it is learning interrogation skills, and leadership qualities. The hard part is going to be learning these bare minimum techniques."

Hinata handed Sasuke the papers in her hand. For a moment Hinata's near perfect handwriting distracted him. Sasuke covered it up with a sign as he read the notes over. The jutsu's were difficult. Complete chakra suppression, complete chakra control which was almost as good as a medical ninja's, and a long list of jounin level jutsu's that have to be preformed back to back without pause.

"Sasuke, we have to find a place to train." Naruto was running his hands through his hair. He looked stressed out and tired.

"I know just the place."

--

For the next six months Sasuke and Naruto trained within the forest. They would spend a week inside memorizing and training. Then the following week they would study and practice all the non-jutsu skills. Then they would start the cycle all over again.

Things were made much easier thanks to Raido. He had his squads training sessions with the excuse that they had to patrol the area since the exams were coming up. Naruto knew better, but said nothing. If anything the rest of the squad already knew, knowing how gossipy they were.

To make things even more stressful, Naruto and Hinata had finally decided on a specific date. One month after the exams were over. By then they would both be 18. The date announcement made everyone anxious. The date was right around the time promotion announcements were made. Now everyone had two things to look forward to. Hopefully at least one of them would be a happy occasion.

Sakura kept writing. She said she couldn't wait to see them all and come to the wedding. She also told them that the day they became captains, because she had no doubt they would, that they had to visit her. Those were her orders.

--

Exam day (Two months before wedding)

--

Sasuke, Shikamaru and Aoba met in the room next door to the exam room. They looked over the applications to get a better feel for the kind of people they would be encountering during the exam. Sasuke recognized a lot of the applicants as his former students. When the time came, Shikamaru got up and started to leave. Before opening the door he stopped.

"I'll get rid of at least two thirds of the students."

Aoba and Sasuke sat in the room and waited. As Sasuke flipped through the applications he was surprised Tsunade had let the Sound participate in the exam. He would have doubted her if Naruto hadn't told him that all the Sound sensei's were being followed by at least two Konoha Anbu members at all times. Sasuke looked out the window. Somewhere out there Naruto was spying on someone.

About an hour into the exam Sasuke heard the first couple students leave the room. Elimination time had started. Sasuke smirked. "Let's see if the genius was right." Aoba laughed at the comment.

Sasuke waited until he couldn't hear anyone else leaving the room. He waited an extra ten minutes just to make sure. When he was positive no one else was going to be leaving he got up and left the room. He approached the door where the exam was being held. He wanted to make sure he didn't walk in on something, so he leaned close to the door. Shikamaru must have felt his presence because Sasuke heard him sigh heavily. "I guess you all pass this portion of the exam."

Sasuke entered the room before anyone got a chance to cheer. Silently, without making eye contact Sasuke walked to the front of the room and turned. Sure enough two thirds of the students were gone. A quick scan revealed some leaf, a few mist, a couple rain, and two sound teams.

"Nice small group."

"I told you." Shikamaru stepped back and leaned against the desk, giving Sasuke the stage.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke and tomorrow I want everyone to meet me at Training Ground 44 at 8:00am. Bring with you a survival pack, you'll need it."

In one of the last rows a Sound nin leaned back in his chair and started to snicker. Everyone's attention, including Sasuke and Shikamaru, turned to that one nin.

"Is this what you've been reduced to Uchiha?"

Sasuke heard Shikamaru groan behind him. The genin continued to just sit there with a huge smirk on his face. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and slowly approached the nin. When he was standing in front of the genin, the genin leaned forward on the desk.

"You've gotten soft."

Sasuke activated his Sharingan. He heard a few gasps from the students who could see him. He then flared up his chakra. Instantly everyone in the room gasped. The Sound nin sitting in front of him paled. Sasuke remembered the first time he felt jounin level chakra, which was when Kakashi and Zabuza fought, then again when he first met Orochimaru.

"Sasuke", Shikamaru said. Sasuke dropped his chakra and deactivated his Sharingan. "So troublesome."

As Sasuke walked to the front of the room he noticed a few students hyperventilating, and one girl was openly crying. When everyone had regained some control, Sasuke looked at every single student.

"I expected better, from everyone. Make sure you show up. Incomplete teams will fail."

Taking that as the cue to leave, the students got up and walked out. Sasuke helped Shikamaru gather the tests. Once all the tests were gathered the two of them, and all the observing chuunins went to the room where Aoba was still sitting. They all went over who was kicked out for being caught three times. One student figured he had a few chances to cheat, so he got up and walked over to his teammate. Shikamaru kicked him out for pure stupidity. There were a few returnees this year. Yet from what they could see there were no obvious problem teams.

--

The next day

--

Sasuke showed up bright and early at the Training Ground. No one was there yet, just as he suspected. All the nins assigned to help him were present though. He quickly assigned them to their gates and gave them all orders. The nin's bowed and left. Around 7:50am the first teams started showing up. Sasuke was going to give all the teams a five minute grace period, after that they were going to be disqualified.

At exactly 8:00am Sasuke had all the teams gather together.

"The rules are simple. Each team will be given either an earth or heaven scroll. You're mission is to get the other scroll. Only teams with both scrolls can pass. If you're teammate gets killed, you fail, if you lose a teammate, you fail. You have five days to make it to the tower. Whatever you do, do not open the scrolls. Now I need everyone to sign these release forms."

As Sasuke passed out the forms, he looked over at the time. It was 8:05am. Well anyone who showed up now would have to be kicked out. Sure enough, three minutes later a leaf team showed up. Sasuke quickly intercepted them and told them to go home, they had failed. One of the team members didn't take the news well because he reached out and tried to snatch a release form from Sasuke's hand. Sasuke tackled the student to the ground, pulled his head back and placed a kunai to his throat.

"Are you in a hurry to die?"

"No sensei."

"Then leave. Now."

Sasuke got up and watched the team leave. He then went to his station where all the scrolls were located. Much to his surprise all the teams signed the release form. It only took ten minutes to get all the scrolls distributed and the teams to their gates. At 8:30am exactly the teams entered the forest. Within twenty minutes screams heard coming from the forest. Sasuke couldn't help but smile.

--

Naruto knew it would work. All he had to do was follow Tsunade at every waking hour and bitch. Sometimes it wasn't specific bitching, more like moaning and whining. Other times it was specific. Either way, it worked. Naruto couldn't help but smile behind his mask as he made his way to Training Ground 44.

It didn't take Naruto long to find Sasuke, who was just starting to make his rounds. After spotting him Naruto ran up behind him.

"Hey bastard, how did it go?"

"I only got rid of one team, so far."

"Yeah I heard. Did you have to threaten them?"

"They need to learn."

"So who passed that I know."

"Konohamaru and his team, Ino made it through too."

They heard a scream come from the forest. It was quickly followed by two more. Naruto sighed and looked at the forest. "Memories."

"We'll stay out here and scan the outskirts for three days then spend the other two at the tower."

"Why three out here?"

"To find those who opened the scrolls. The scrolls not only knock them out but also put up a camoflauge jutsu to protect them."

"A jutsu only you can see. Got it. So when we get to the tower what then?"

"We wait for people to start showing up."

"When do we sweep the forest for people lost or dead?"

"If there's a preliminary tournament, during that. If not, as soon as the rules are read. I have to be present during that."

Naruto nodded. Three days outside the gate, two at the tower and maybe one to two days searching the forest. As they rounded a corner, one of the ninja's stationed at a gate waved them down.

"Sasuke-san, there's a student that'll start walking this way, but hesitates and goes back. He's done it three times already."

Sasuke turned and looked into the forest. This was just what he didn't need; trouble. If the student wanted to leave, he would have brought his team with him. If there was trouble, he would have said so. A whole array of possibilities started going through Sasuke's head.

"Want me to follow him when he appears again?"

Naruto's spoke at a volume only Sasuke would have heard.

"We won't be seen."

Sasuke heard Naruto scoff. Like he would let Naruto have all the fun. He saw Naruto stand next to him. They only had to wait about five minutes before someone started walking out of the forest. He was young, and a Sound nin.

Naruto leaned forward unconsciously. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto wasn't interested in what village the kid was from. He was too busy reading the nin's body language. The nin was skittish, he kept looking back. Someone was either pressuring him to come, or was pressuring him to go back. The nin kept rubbing his hands together and down the front of his pants. His palms were sweating and he was nervous. In other words, this was not good.

Naruto watched as Sasuke stepped toward the gate and opened it. It was a silent invitation. The nin started to rush forward, but stopped when their was a loud rustling from the forest. The nin stopped, turned and ran back.

"Something called him back. I'm gonna go."

Naruto didn't wait for Sasuke to respond. He was nearly to the trees when he felt Sasuke's presence next to him. It wasn't hard to track down the kid, since he was a genin and very inexperienced. The genin ran to a small cave formed by the roots of two trees. Inside was a young girl with a heavily bandaged leg. Naruto and Sasuke hid in the tree across from the cave.

The bandaged girl sat up at the sight of the young man. "He came back again, as soon as you left."

"I wish I could take you with me."

"You should just leave me and go."

"I can't do that. He'll kill you."

Naruto turned and looked at Sasuke, who shook his head. Sasuke knew the rules. They were only to get involved under extreme circumstances. So far Sasuke had yet to see any evidence to force him to get involved. He turned when Naruto tapped his shoulder and pointed higher up the tree. Sasuke followed Naruto to a higher perch. Just as they settled down a genin ran below them toward the other two.

"You tried to go again didn't you. I should kill you."

The young genin stepped forward and looked desperate. "You need help."

"No I don't. I'm fine." Naruto watched as the genin walked away from his two scared teammates. The nin had long brown hair. He started looking through his pockets and pulled out two scrolls. They were both heaven scrolls, but Naruto could tell by the way the brunette genin threw them that he had been looking for the earth scrolls. "Tomorrow we'll have to move further into the forest."

"We can't move her."

"We'll make her move!"

Naruto noticed that the angry brunette kept grabbing his thigh, but by the looks of it he didn't seem injured. He signaled to Sasuke about the thigh. Sasuke nodded and turned back to the team. It was then that they heard a noise from behind their tree. Naruto turned just in time to see a huge snake getting ready to strike. He jumped one way and Sasuke the other. The commotion caught the attention of the genin team below. Naruto searched Sasuke out. Sasuke signaled that they should leave.

As they ran toward the edge of the forest they could hear the snake chasing behind them. Apparently this snake wanted jounin blood not genin blood. As they jumped around trying to get away from the snake a familiar chakra flare stopped them dead in their tracks. They turned to see the snake no longer behind them.

Naruto took off looking for the snake. As he rounded a tree he spotted the snake and the aggressive brunette genin. The snake was dead, killed by the genin. But what shocked Naruto was the genin himself. Naruto had gotten there just in time to see a curse seal returning to its point of origin; the genin's thigh.

Sasuke placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and pulled him back slightly. Indicating without words that they should leave. He saw Naruto hesitate for a moment before turning and running toward the gates.

--

"Why didn't you let me get him? He's dangerous!"

Sasuke knew the moment they reached the gates that Naruto would be mad at him. That was the reason he hadn't stopped running until they had reached a private area near the training grounds.

"Rules. Technically he wasn't cheating."

"He wants to kill them."

"Killing is allowed. You know this. Look don't say anything. I have to inform the Hokage."

"Let me come."

"No. I need you to continue my rounds. Wait for me to return before making any decisions."

As much as Naruto wanted to tell Sasuke to shove it up his ass, he knew he had to listen. Sasuke was the commanding ninja and Naruto his helper. So instead of yelling, Naruto bit the inside of his lip, bowed slightly and left.

For the next couple days Sasuke and Naruto continued to patrol the gates. The Sound team had not been sighted since the first day. They assumed that the team had moved deeper in the forest. After the third day they made their way to the tower. No teams had made it to the tower yet.

"Naruto if that Sound team makes it we have to let them pass. If they don't, we have to find them and escort them out immediately."

"Orders?"

"Yeah."

Naruto followed Sasuke to a hidden security room. Inside were a few ninjas sitting around watching security monitors. There was a camera placed at every entrance, and in every waiting area. Sasuke looked at the clock on the wall.

"Well, the teams have one hour to break the record."

"Who has the record? I know we don't." The first time they had taken the test, they were the last team. The second time there were already teams at the tower.

"Gaara."

"That bastard."

Sasuke silently agreed with Naruto. Neither of them noticed the surprised looks the ninjas in the room were giving them. No one talked about the Kazekage with such formality. Almost an hour and a half later the first team walked into the tower.

"Uchiha-san, a team just entered."

Everyone in the room rushed the monitor to catch a glimpse of the team. It was Konohamaru's team. Naurto stood up straight and cheered.

"They're the first team. That's awesome!"

"They didn't break the record though."

"Who cares. Can I go congratulate them?"

"After this portion of the exam is over." Even through the mask Sasuke could see the pout on Naruto's face. The last two days continued with a steady flow of teams. But the Sound team had not shown up. Well sure enough, when time was up the team was nowhere to be found.

Sasuke told Naruto to go into the preliminary tournament room and wait for further instructions. Naruto stood in the back of the room as Sasuke escorted all the teams in. As the teams lined up, Tsunade motioned for Sasuke to approach her. After a quick talk, Sasuke nodded, turned and left the room with Naruto in toe.

"We have to find the team."

Sasuke went to the roof of the tower, and grabbed the messenger hawks perched there. He attached notes to all of them and sent them on their way. The notes told all the ninja's patrolling the area to keep out of the forest until further instructions were given. It also said that if they happen to see a Sound team, to notify Sasuke immediately via bird.

After all the birds were gone, Sasuke marched out of the tower. At the bottom step he pulled out a topographic map.

"We spotted them here first." He marked a place on the map. "They might have gone this way since it's easier." With his finger he showed the possible path, which had few slopes, and valleys.

"They might have gone by the stream, which is shorter. He seemed pretty confident in himself."

"It's also the hardest." Traveling via the stream was dangerous. It left one out in the open, plus the steam was a heavily traveled area. Sasuke looked down at the map again. After thinking it over for a moment me started to roll up the map. "We'll go to the last sighting place via the stream. On the way back we take the other path."

"Okay. But what if we don't find them?"

"Let's worry about that later."

Sasuke put the map away, and then they were gone. As they traveled up the stream Sasuke had his Sharingan activated, while Naruto was using chakra to enhance his sense of sight and smell. As they traveled Naruto couldn't help but notice that Sasuke would randomly stop, mark his map and put up a smoke signal. After giving Sasuke a strange look, Sasuke said, "There's a passed out team." Naruto understood know. Only Sasuke could see through the jutsu.

It took them about an hour to make it to their destination. Knowing the terrain, not having to look over their shoulder for possible attacks and not having to fight anyone made the search a whole lot easier.

After some hunting around fire embers are found. But they were cold and there was no evidence that anyone has been in the area for the past couple days. By the time Naruto and Sasuke began to move down the other path the sun has begun to set. There was no break for the duo as they searched. They needed to find the Sound team as soon as possible.

Traveling back toward the tower become much more difficult and much slower. The forest was starting to get darker and the animals were starting to come out. As they jumped through the trees Sasuke was the first to spot the explosive note. Sasuke stopped before activating it, as was Naruto. Sasuke threw a shuriken and hit the note. Notes set all over the area began to go off. Just as the last note went off they felt the familiar chakra surge of the curse seal. In an instant they were both on the ground and racing towards it. Moments later they ran into the genin, who was racing toward the sound of the explosion.

"You're not genins!"

Naruto let Sasuke step forward and speak since he was the one in charge. "The exam is over. I'm escorting your team out of the forest."

"No! It can't be over!" Angry, the genin released the curse seal.

"Stop. We don't want to fight you!"

But the genin didn't listen. Instead he screamed and charged at Sasuke. Fighting the genin was difficult. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke wanted to severely injury him. To make matters worse the curse seal was making the genin insanely powerful. Luckily Naruto was able to soften him up with some taijutsu. While he was distracted Sasuke threw some shuriken with wire and tied the genin to a tree. The genin tried to fight his way out, but couldn't. As he was struggling he heard a very familiar chirping noise. He looked up and saw Sasuke walking up to him with his Chidori in all its glory. Panicked, the genin turned to Naruto.

"Hey stop him!"

"I will if you pull back the seal."

"Stop him!"

"Pull the seal back!"

Just as the genin turned to plead with Sasuke, his teammate ran and stood in front of the curse sealed brunette. He stood with his arms spread and on the verge of tears. "Don't! Please!"

Sasuke stopped his slow advance. He never intended on using the Chidori on the genin. His advance was too slow. Naruto knew this as well. The whole purpose was to scare the genin into submission. As Sasuke untied the genin from the tree he heard Naruto sigh heavily behind him. Damn kids gotta complicate everything.

--

After taking the team into custody and escorting them to the hospital, Naruto followed Sasuke as he gave orders to all the ninja's involved in the exam to enter the forest and find the remaining teams. As soon as the orders were passed out Sasuke and Naruto went to the room where the preliminary tournament was being held. They arrived just in time to catch the last couple matches. Naruto was glad to discover that Hanabi, Konohamaru and even Ino had made it through to the next round. As Naruto scanned the room, he spotted Ryo standing on the other side of the room with a team of genins. Looks like Ryo did get his promotion after all.

When the preliminaries were over Tsunade congratulated them all. Aoba stepped forward and got everything organized for the tournament. As the students started to file out, Tsunade signaled for Sasuke and Naruto to follow her. As Naruto walked past Konohamaru he couldn't help himself.

"Good job."

"Thanks Ni-san."

--

"So he had a curse seal?"

"Yes."

"Okay I'll talk to his sensei, but don't leave. Sit and wait outside in case this sensei decides to act stupid."

The boys bowed quickly and walked out of her office. Sasuke leaned against the wall directly across from the office and Naruto sat down on the floor next to him. Minutes later a tall, ugly Sound nin entered her office. Naruto wondered when the hell Tsunade summoned him. The only conclusion that made sense was that it must be a Hokage secret, one he would learn later.

Five minutes after the Sound nin walked into the office Tsunade opened the door and asked them to enter. Naruto noticed that Tsunade had gripped the doorknob so tightly she had actually broken it. Not a good sign. Tsunade walked back to her desk calmly. The Sound nin was sitting in a chair in front of her desk.

"Sasuke, explain to him what you saw."

Sasuke gave Tsunade a nod and turned to face the Sound nin. Naruto stood behind him as he spoke. "The curse seal originated from his thigh. The pattern was like barb wire."

"How do you know that wasn't a bloodline technique you saw?"

"I know what a curse seal looks and feels like."

"Having one doesn't mean you can spot one. Have you ever been in the presence of someone with a curse seal?"

Naruto saw the muscles in the back of Sasuke's neck contract. He also noticed Sasuke had balled his hands into fists. This Sound nin sure had a knack for pissing people off.

"Four as a matter of fact. My comrade has encountered six."

Naruto leaned forward to whisper into Sasuke's ear. "Seven, you forgot Mizuki." Sasuke promptly stomped on Naruto's foot.

Tsunade cleared her throat and leaned on the desk. "As you can see they know what they saw."

"Fine. I'll take my team home and explain to the Otokage what happened."

The Sound nin stood and turned to walk out. He didn't even bow or give Tsunade any sign of respect. Karma took care of him though when he realized he couldn't get out of the office due to a broken door. Naruto had to help him out, much to the Sound nin's embarrassment. When they were finally alone Naruto removed his mask and approached the desk.

"Baa-chan, was that a good idea to let him walk out like that?"

"I told him that out of the goodness of my heart I wasn't going to take his students highly aggressive behavior toward my ninja's as a threat. Or that his village allowing someone poisoned by Orochimaru to come here as an attack to Konoha."

'Damn, she's good.' Naruto couldn't help but mentally compliment her. He hoped he would be able to manipulate situations like this to favor him.

"Go home you two. Relax. All missions have been put on hold until after promotions."

--

As the pair slowly trudged down the halls of the tower, Sasuke remembered some unfinished business they had to attend too.

"Let's go talk to the Anbu head while we're here."

Naruto nodded and started to take the now familiar route toward the Anbu headquarters. When they entered they were immediately waved down by Raido.

"You two are good to go."

"What do you mean captain?"

"I passed the proposal on to the head. He approved the exam."

Sasuke raised his hand in confusion. "Wait, so am I Anbu?"

"Only if you pass. Then you and Naruto will leave to do some Anbu training."

Naruto nearly grabbed his captain by his shoulders and shook him. "Captain I can't. The wedding is six weeks after the chuunin exam and anbu training takes four weeks! I can't be gone –"

Raido raised his hand and cut Naruto off. "If you pass the captain exam the training is only two weeks long. They only teach you some basic captain rules. Nothing you can't handle."

Naruto instantly relaxed. He could handle two weeks away from home. As the three of them walked out of the tower Raido clapped his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I'd hate to lose a valuable member of my squad, but I guess it can't be helped."

--

When the boys arrived home, they went about getting ready for dinner. It was really late, but they were hungry. After hunting around the kitchen they were able to make some rice with meat. They ate in silence until Naruto sat back in his chair and threw his head back in exhaustion.

"We need to train this month, and we need to train hard."

Sasuke continued to eat his rice. "I can ask Kakashi."

"No, Tsunade sent him on a mission while I was harassing her. He hasn't returned yet."

"Who then?"

Naruto lifted his head and gazed at Sasuke sheepishly. "I was thinking Neji and Lee."

"Won't Neji be helping Hinata?"

"No. She told me that her father wAS going to be helping her and her sister."

Sasuke paused in his eating to look at Naruto. "You think they'll want to do it?" At that moment Sasuke hated the fact that he didn't know them the way Naruto did.

"It's an opportunity to kick our asses, of course they will."

Sasuke returned to his rice. "You mean try to kick our asses."

Naruto grabbed a nearby spoon and threw it at Sasuke's head. "You know what I meant." Sasuke moved his head to the right and dodged the flying utensil.

--

Early the next morning Naruto and Sasuke hunted down Neji and Lee, which wasn't too hard considering they were on their way to train together. Naruto sat them down and explained to them the plan.

"I don't see a problem with it. What do you think Neji-kun?"

"When?"

Naruto looked over at Sasuke before answering. "This whole month."

Naruto and Sasuke watched as Neji and Lee thought it over. Neji turned to Lee, and shrugged his shoulders, Lee smiled at him. Neji turned back to Naruto and Sasuke and leaned back into a more comfortable position.

"What exactly is it you need to learn?"

Naruto released the breath he was holding and flopped down roughly. From the floor Naruto hunted around his pockets before pulling out a scroll and handing it to Neji.

"We have to master all those jutsus, as well as work on out combat skills using little to no jutsus."

Neji unrolled the scroll. Lee leaned in closer to read it as well. Lee whistled as he read the list, Neji simply arched a brow. Thinking Neji and Lee might back out Sasuke spoke up.

"We already know how to do them. We just need to master them and do them all, back to back."

Neji lifted his gaze from the scroll to Sasuke. "Back to back?" Naruto and Sasuke nodded in response. Neji rolled the scroll back up and handed it to Naruto. "Do any of you have missions?"

"All missions are on hold."

"I suggest we leave as soon as possible so we can do some training without distractions."

Naruto turned back to look at Sasuke and nudged him with his elbow. "Told you they wouldn't turn us down."

--

The next morning Naruto and Sasuke made their way to the Hyuuga compound. They had all agreed to meet there. Naruto was wearing the back body suit that came with the Anbu uniform, but without the white vest. He was also wearing the protectors given to him by Sasuke and the special non-reflective forehead protector given to him by Sakura. Sasuke was also wearing all black. Both of them have their packs pull of weapons. Naruto even found a way to strap both his katana and pack to his back without it being too uncomfortable.

As they entered the large open patio area of the compound they see that Neji and Lee are already waiting for them. Lee was in his normal green jumpsuit and vest. Neji on the other hand was wearing a modified kimono. Naruto had seen it only once before. He called it "Neji's battle kimono of doom". Neji never liked that name. Next to Lee and Neji were Hinata and Hiashi.

Naruto smiled widely as Hinata walked up to him and hugged him. After some quick hello's the boys where on their way. Naruto asked Hinata to notify Sakura, so she wouldn't freak out at the lack of letters, and told her not to worry. Hinata said she wouldn't worry too much.

Running through the forest Sasuke couldn't help but get the feeling that he was the only one who had no idea where they were going. The other three all seemed to know when to turn and which way to go. Sasuke felt a little left out. He was sure if Naruto had been told the place he would have informed Sasuke. The only explanation was that Naruto, Neji and Lee had been to the place before and just forgot to inform Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't say anything though. He didn't want to draw attention to his insecurity when it came to Neji and Lee's friendship with Naruto. Thankfully they only traveled for one day and by that evening they arrived.

The thick forest gave way to a small lake. A large waterfall that came off of some very steep cliffs feed the lake. The thickness of the forest hid the waterfall very well. Sasuke didn't even know it was there until he was almost upon it. A sandy shore surrounded the lake. The whole place was like an oasis, which worried Sasuke.

"Won't people come here for the waterfall?"

Naruto, who was stretching his back next to Sasuke answered. "No this area is secret and protected. It's one of the Anbu training areas." That explained how they knew where to go.

As Sasuke began to remove his pack, Neji approached them. "Okay let's start."

Sasuke watched Naruto drop his pack and stomp over to Neji. "Oh come on, don't go all Anbu on us."

Neji remained silent, making Naruto even more annoyed. Sasuke looked over to the side and saw Lee sitting on a rock preparing his weapons. Not wanting to hear Naruto bitch, Sasuke joined Lee on the rock. Sasuke decided to use this opportunity to try and get on friendlier terms with Neji and Lee. He would not be left out or left beind.

"I never got to ask what squad you and Neji were assigned to."

"I'm in squad seven. We specialize in the care and escort of special personnel."

"So you guard people?"

"That and protect and secure an area before they arrive. It's very exciting work actually."

Sasuke could imagine. Having to make check and double check an area. Making sure there were no ambushes or spies within the building. Meeting important people. At first glance Lee's job did seem boring, but once some thought was put into it that opinion changed. "What about Neji?"

"He's in squad three. It's one of the few squads that specialize in combat. It there's an attack he's one of the first ones out there."

The pair fall silent. Sasuke couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of pressure Neji must feel when his squad gets called out. He glanced over at Neji and Naruto who were still arguing.

"Oh come on at least let us rest."

"You don't have time for that."

"Just because you're used to a training schedule like that doesn't mean we all are."

Not understanding what Naruto was saying, Sasuke tapped Lee's leg. "What is Naruto talking about?"

"Neji's squad trains intensely. Your squads training habits tend to rub off on you."

Sasuke was about to turn back to his weapons when Naruto walked by and grabbed Sasuke by his upper arm and dragged him away.

"What the fuck dobe?"

"It's you and me versus Lee and stupid pale eyes."

"Yeah that's mature. Hey let me go before you break my arm."

Naruto let go of Sasuke, who fell unceremoniously. Annoyed, Sasuke got up and smacked Naruto in the back of the head. Naruto snapped his head around and glared at Sasuke.

"What the hell was that for?"

"For being an idiot."

Naruto snarled and tried to punch Sasuke, but he was so angry that his punch was sloppy. Sasuke was able to dodge it easily, but Naruto lost his footing and fell on Sasuke. Sasuke tried to maintain his balance, but was unable too. They both feel into the lake. Over the sound of Naruto cussing, Sasuke heard Neji and Lee laughing. He looked up to see them perched on a tree.

"You're not supposed to fight your teammate."

At that moment Sasuke wanted nothing more than for Neji's hair to catch on fire. Instead he got up, grabbed his weapons and marched away. Naruto followed suit, but he was still saying profanities the entire way.

--

Three days. That's how long it had been, and no one had won yet. There had been some close calls, but nothing definite so far. It wasn't that the rules were difficult. They were actually rather simple. "Kill" the other team. The problem was the other team. One was trained to fight and the other to secure large areas. It was difficult to get close. Naruto and Sasuke had been able to combine their talents to get in close; they've just been unable to "kill" them.

For the past three days Sasuke had been using his Sharingan sparingly. With the lack of food and sleep he knew he would have to conserve his chakra. He knew Naruto had been using the Kyuubi's chakra to enhance his senses, but even he was starting to run low.

"Naruto, lets go get some water."

Naruto didn't argue with him. They needed water, badly. As carefully as possible they make their way to the lake. They hung back a bit to observe and make sure was safe to come out in the open. While scanning the area, Sasuke noticed something strange. He moved to sit next to Naruto.

"Dobe, does the water here change levels?"

"No, why?"

"Look at the sand." Naruto gave Sasuke a skeptic look before looking at the sand. As he looked around, a look of understanding covered his face.

"Our footprints are gone."

"They've been here and they did something."

Naruto jumped down from his perch and got as close to the edge of the tree line as he dared too. He heard Sasuke land on the ground behind him. Naruto grabbed some nearby dirt and blew it toward the lake. As the dirt drifted away, wires became visible in the dust cloud.

"Should we set them off?'

Naruto turned to Sasuke when he didn't answer. What he saw scared the living daylights out of him. Sasuke was smiling.

"No, you'll set them off."

--

Lee and Neji ran as fast as they could toward the lake. Their trap had worked, and it was time to move in for the "kill". Upon arriving they decided to observe the pair before actually jumping in and fighting.

Naruto was tangled in the wires. Sasuke and a few of Naruto's clones were desperately trying to get him out. Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned the area. When he saw that there was no one hiding anywhere in the vicinity he signaled to Lee that it was okay to attack.

Sasuke stopped in his struggle to free Naruto and look in the direction Neji and Lee were coming from. "Here they come." Sasuke turned to them and pulled out two kunai, one in each hand.

"I'll handle the clones and Sasuke. You get Naruto."

Lee stopped running and pouted at Neji. "Let me have a few clones." Neji didn't respond, instead he charged at Sasuke.

Two clones stay behind with Naruto and continue to try to free him. All the other clones either help Sasuke or try to stop Lee from getting to Naruto. Unfortunately, Lee is able to break past the clones and move toward Naruto. Sasuke saw Lee advancing, and decided to flee. Not wanting him to get away, Neji followed Sasuke into the forest. Neji could tell that Sasuke was running low on chakra. When he tried to punch Sasuke, some stray clones blocked the punch. The clones even attempted to use the Rasengan on Neji, but to no avail. After destroying all the clones, Neji was finally able to punch Sasuke. While Sasuke was in a daze, Neji charged at him and hit him with the **Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou.** Sasuke fell to his knees. From the ground Sasuke raised his head and smirked at Neji.

"I wouldn't smile if I were you Uchiha."

"I'll tell him you said that."

Neji felt the blood fall from his face. In an instant he was running back toward the lake. But when he got there Naruto, the clones and Lee were gone. All that reminded was someone in the shape of Neji.

"How did you like my clones? The better I know the person the better my clone. I knew you wouldn't be able to tell us apart from them."

"You and Sasuke were among the clones." Neji mentally punched himself for his stupidity. He should have been more suspicious of the pair.

"I expected better Neji. They got Lee. All that's left is you, and since they're such nice guys they've given you the chance to hide."

Neji took a step back. "They?"

The Neji imposter started to laugh. "Really expected better." With that the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

--

Naruto and Lee sat underneath the shade of a tree. Naruto and Sasuke didn't have to worry about Lee anymore. They had "killed" him. Now all they had to do was "kill" Neji.

"Naruto-kun, was it wise to let Neji go?"

"It'll be more fun."

"He'll be ruthless."

"I know. It'll be great."

Sasuke dropped down the trees and sat down. "Nothing can pass those traps."

Naruto nodded and sat up. He opened up his pouch and pulled out some food for him, Sasuke and Lee. As they ate, Lee started to laugh.

"The clone idea was genius."

Naruto smiled. "Yeah, but he won't fall for it again."

"We should just get it over with." Naruto silently agreed with Sasuke.

"Can I join?"

"Technically you're dead."

Lee slouched and frowned. "Oh yeah."

"Tomorrow then Naruto?"

"Yeah. I'm getting tired of this anyway." That night Naruto and Sasuke went over a dozen possible attack plans, none of which were very good.

--

After getting as a good a sleep as possible considering the situation the three ninja's moved. Even though Lee was "dead", trying sneak up on Neji was going to be difficult. Lee understood this and hung back. He kept himself as hidden from view as possible.

Naruto and Sasuke decided to start at the lake and work their way toward the direction Lee and Neji came at them last time. But when they get to the lake all three of them stopped dead in their tracks. Neji was there, but he was in the water washing his hair. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's sleeve and shook him. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and shook his head. There was no jutsu there. That's Neji. Naruto released Sasuke and stomped over to where Neji was sitting.

"What the hell are you doing!"

Without pausing in his hair washing Neji looked over his shoulder at Naruto. "I knew I wouldn't be able to handle you and Sasuke, so I decided that it was time to move on."

"So you give up?"

"No. I'm ending this training session."

Naruto turned his back on Neji and waved at Sasuke. "Hey Sasuke! He gives up!"

"I did not say that."

Sasuke wasn't sure if Naruto didn't hear Neji or simply choose to ignore him. Not that it mattered. When Naruto removed his shirt and did a cannonball into the water, Sasuke and Lee didn't question him. Within ten minutes all four of them were clean and relaxing. Sasuke moved over to a small wall created by some rocks. The rocks provided a nice shade. As he got comfortable, Neji came and joined him.

"After lunch we'll start with those techniques." Sasuke grunted. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the rocks. Sleep sounded good right about now. "I'll help you two try to maximize your chakra."

"How will you do that?"

"It's possible to increase ones chakra pool just like one can increase muscle mass. You have to start small though. You have to train the body because if you pump out more chakra than the body is used to it can damage the body. Just like trying to lift more weight than one is capable of."

Sasuke opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Neji. "Is the damage permanent?"

"Depends."

Sasuke turned his head back and closed his eyes again. He couldn't help but worry about Naruto. Was Naruto's body accustom to the huge chakra surge? Naruto didn't release that chakra often. All Sasuke could picture in his head was the look of concern on Sakura's face when she first examined Naruto's chakra paths.

--

After eating lunch Neji and Lee sit back as Naruto and Sasuke prepared to demonstrate the jutsus. Sasuke went first. He was able to make it do two thirds of the jutsus before he had to eat a solider pill to finish. Naruto on the other hand started blasting through the jutsus, but like Sasuke he only made it two thirds of the way through before he too had to eat a solider pill.

Neji had a quick word with Lee before sitting back up and looking at Naruto and Sasuke. "Sasuke, we have to increase your chakra pool. To do that you have to train with Lee and just keep doing the jutsus."

Sasuke nodded. He knew that was his problem. He had to increase his chakra pool once before, so he already knew how it all worked.

Neji turned his gaze on Naruto and sighed. "Naruto, you have the chakra pool to do all the jutsus. You're simply pumping too much chakra into them. You'll work with me to try to learn how to fix that."

As Sasuke walked off with Lee to kick some trees to death he could tell that Naruto was slightly embarrassed. Naruto wasn't really embarrassed, more like irritated that after so many years he had yet to master chakra control. Neji led Naruto over to the lake.

"Do a simple fire jutsu for me." Naruto faced the lake, took a deep breath and performed a jutsu. "You're using more chakra than necessary. Try using only half the amount." Again Naruto turned to the lake. It took him longer to prepare. Usually when he did jutsu's he just went with the flow. Now he had to actually think about it. When he felt prepared he did the justu, with half the chaka like instructed. The problem was the fire was large but burned out suddenly.

"Damnit."

"That's okay. The amount was good. Now try to spread the chakra out. Think of it as a steady stream. It'll last longer instead of a sudden, short burst."

Naruto tried again, only this time the fire was so pathetic. It did last a lot longer though.

"That shouldn't even count. Are you sure I can do it with this amount."

Neji reached into his pouch, pulled out a kunai and threw it into the forest. Moments later Lee and Sasuke walked out of the trees.

"You called?"

"Sasuke, do a fire jutsu using the least amount of chakra possible."

Sasuke shrugged and went to stand next to Naruto. Unknowingly Sasuke did the same jutsu Naruto was using before. The flame was perfect and intense.

"See Naruto, he used the same amount of chakra you did. You just have to learn to spread it out properly."

Naruto grinded his teeth together. He wasn't sure what pissed him off more, Neji or the smirk on Sasuke's face. As Sasuke walked past him, he leaned in to whisper in Naruto's ear.

"And you taught chakra control. How disgraceful."

Naruto instantly lunged at Sasuke, but was stopped midair by Neji. Neji grabbed Naruto from the back of the shirt and dragged him off.

--

"Lee eat your food, it'll get cold."

Neji and Lee sat around a campfire eating some pheasants. Naruto and Sasuke were somewhere in the forest training. After two weeks of training, Naruto and Sasuke were progressing nicely.

"But what about Naruto and Sasuke?"

"I don't think they'll come."

"They really are dedicated aren't they?"

"More like stubborn and prideful."

After spending two weeks with the duo, Neji and Lee realized a lot of things. For one Naruto and Sasuke were very prideful. All it took was one jab at their pride for either of them to work like a maniac simply to prove you wrong. The pair also rarely rested. It seemed only when they were on the verge of passing out did they consider sleeping or eating. Neji and Lee got into many arguments with the pair over not taking care of themselves.

Suddenly Naruto broke the silence with a scream, which was followed by Sasuke yelling, "You idiot!"

Neither Neji nor Lee flinched. That was another thing they learned about Naruto and Sasuke; their idea of teamwork was different from most others. They fought, called each other names, mocked, nagged, fought, argued, screamed, fought, sabotaged, and fought. Yet somehow it all worked. There were silent encouragements, smirks, pats on the back, and most importantly their rivalry. It was those little things that one might easily overlook that pushed Naruto and Sasuke to try harder. Neji and Lee didn't have that kind of relationship. Theirs was more of a silent rivalry. It was not active, but more for entertainment, whereas for Naruto and Sasuke it was a necessity.

"Hey Bastard, you did that on purpose!"

There was a loud crash from behind Lee and Neji. Neji jumped, grabbed Lee and got out of the way. A tree had fallen right where they had been sitting. They turned to see a very irritated Sasuke and an embarrassed Naruto.

"Sorry about that." Naruto scratched the back of his head and shrugged. Sasuke on the other hand tensed his shoulder and balled up his fists.

"You idiot!"

Naruto immediately lowered his arm and turned to Sasuke with a stomp of his foot. "Shut up!"

Neji slowly got up and started looking around for any food that might not have been crushed. Lee sighed, grabbed their water containers and headed for the lake.

--

Sakura took a step back from her table so she could see all the items scattered on it.

"Okay let's see, Lee, Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Hinata, Kakashi, and Tsunade. Yup that's everyone."

Sakura walked into her small kitchen and served herself some water. It was another hot day in the Sand. There was no air conditioning in the Sand. It wasn't really needed though. There was almost always a nice breeze. For that reason all the buildings in the village had no shortage of windows. As for Sakura's apartment, it was heaven. Sure it was small, but it had an amazing view. From one window she could gaze upon the entire village. From the other window she could see the sand dunes. But what she really wanted to see were trees. She missed the greenery. As she finished her drink there was a knock on the door. When Sakura opened the door she was surprised to see Gaara standing there.

"May I?"

Sakura opened the door more and moved aside. "Of course." The only other time Gaara had entered her apartment was when he showed it to her. But he walked in like he was a regular visitor. He walked over to the covered table, pulled out a chair and sat down. Sakura quickly served him some water, which he accepted.

"Presents for your friends?"

"Yes." Gaara continued to stare at the gifts. Sakura, waited a moment for Gaara to say something else, but when he didn't she decided to continue. "This is for the Hokage," she pointed to a bag of herbs, "Kakashi," a romance novel that hadn't been released in Konoha, "my best friend," a bag of flower seeds, "Sasuke", a book of basic Sand jutsu's, "a wedding present for Naruto and Hinata," a formal tea set, with extras. Lastly was a small wrapped box with a bow on it. Sakura blushed as she pointed at it. "That's for Lee."

"You can't wait to go back." It was more of an observation than a statement, so Sakura didn't reply right away.

"Yeah, I miss them."

"Do Naruto and his wife have a place to live?"

Sakura didn't correct Gaara on his mislabeling of Hinata, since she was basically his wife. "Actually, I think they were going to stay with us or at the Hyuuga compound until they find a place."

Gaara nodded his head and smiled. "That's good. Now I know what to get them. We leave in a few days for Konoha." Gaara finished his drink and got up to leave. As he showed himself out, Sakura grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

"Thank you for everything."

Gaara's eyes soften in a way Sakura didn't know possible. "No, thank you."

--

--

--

--

**Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou** - Divination Field, 64 Strikes

--

Okay that was 27 pages of pure fanfic. Now I just want to say I don't know when my next update will be. My father recently passed and I've been busy helping my mom. The only reason I was able to put this out was because 75 of it was already written at the time of his passing.

Now for the not sad stuff. My beta is busy with school, so this chapter hasn't been beta'd yet. I know, bad me. This chapter is also longer than usually because I didn't want to cut the training in half. I'm trying to move things along, but I don't think I'm doing a good job at it. I'm trying to get things rolling along. Oh I also want to say that trying to keep track of time in this chapter was a bitch. This is the last time I do things like "in one month", "two weeks later" because then I gotta make sure it all matches. If you see any weird time gaps, please either let me know or completely ignore it.

Now I know fanfiction doesn't like it when I answer reviews. But you know what I don't care. You took the time to write me so the least I could do is write back. If they remove my fic, I got it uploaded on two other sites.

**FF Reviews **

**Dragon Man 180** – I take it you're not an Itachi fan then.

**JohnnyG** - :smacks forehead: That is what happens when you don't know how to spell a word, so you wing it and hope MS does it for you, but they pick the wrong word.

**TimeShifter** – Thanks for the warning. But I've done this for 20 chapters and I ain't stopping. If they do get rid of it, just find me elsewhere. Those two letters were from Sasuke, from way in the beginning. It seems like someone wants a lemon. Don't worry I'll give it to you.

**The dark icon writers** – So Dimitri, how many DIW's are there? Thanks for the kind words, and yes finding something non yaoi is hard. But I gotta admit, I am a yaoi fan.

**Nonengel** – I'm glad you liked the Sasuke punching Lee scene. Sasuke is so not prepared for girls crying. Poor dude.

**Kwisatz Haderach** – Did I spell that right? Thanks for the compliments. They make me warm inside.

**Lahmikhara** – Curiosity is a good thing and I'm glad my fic sparked yours.

**AFF Reviews**

**Jbrock** – you know the whole front door thing didn't even click in my head until you mentioned it.

**Vensert** – It's good to hear a dialogue compliment. I've read some fics where it's terrible and I've read some where it's the most amazing thing ever.

**Church** - :bows back:

**Sakura** – Love the little cough you did there. Sorry no yaoi in this one. But if you want some of my yaoi, just look in my profile. I know pimping my own stuff to you.

**MM Reviews**

:cries: I got no love from them this time.

Remember to always flame, review, yell, and comment. It makes authors happy.


	22. A new beginning

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be a stripper.**

**Spoilers: **

**Warnings: **

**Chapter 22: A new beginning**

"Welcome. I hope you had a safe trip." Tsunade held out her hand and shook Gaara's hand. The tournament was going to be starting in a few days and all the dignitaries were starting to show up.

"Yes we did."

"Shizune will show you to your rooms." Tsunade moved aside and watched as Gaara, Temari followed Shizune.

"Shishou."

Tsunade didn't need to turn around to know who was calling her. How she missed that voice.

"Welcome home Sakura." Tsunade turned around and motioned toward the Hokage tower. "Come on up and tell me all the details."

"Actually I was wondering if I could go see the boys first?"

"They haven't returned from their training yet." The depressed look on Sakura's face hurt Tsunade more than she would acknowledge. Tsunade knew then that she must have really missed her student. "But I heard a rumor that they would be coming home soon."

--

Grabbing all her luggage, which was considerable, Sakura nearly sprinted home. As she neared the house she felt some of the ache in her heart fade away. Homesickness was a horrible thing. As she approached the front door, it was thrown open.

"Hinata."

"Welcome home Sakura!"

Hinata rushed forward and helped Sakura with her bags. As Sakura entered the house, she couldn't help but stop and breathe in the air. She wasn't sure why, but the air in the house smelled different, better. It even felt better in her lungs. She walked to her room and found it just as she had left it.

"I was just about to start dinner. I think the boys are coming home today."

Sakura threw herself on her bed. Even the bed felt softer than she remembered. It was good to be home. "That's what Tsunade-sama said. Here let me help you."

"No you lay there and relax."

Sakura smiled and got up. "No, I think I'll help you."

Hinata only smiled and walked with Sakura to the kitchen. As they cooked Hinata updated Sakura on all that had happened while she was gone. Most of it Sakura had already heard in her letters, but this time Hinata gave her more details, besides it was nice to talk to someone from home. Just as they were done cooking, Hinata turned and stared at the wall. Sakura turned her head in the same direction; even though she couldn't see them she could feel them. Hinata opened her mouth and gasped. They both felt like they couldn't rush to the front door fast enough.

Then there they were. All four boys were standing in front of the house talking. Neji noticed the girls first. He motioned for Lee to be quiet and then pointed at the house. When Lee, Naruto and Sasuke turned their attention to them, Sakura felt the air rush out of her. She felt her heart beat faster, her blood pump faster, and time slow down. She took two tentative steps forward, but then Lee smiled widely at her. That was all she needed to rush forward and throw her arms around him. Everyone laughed when she knocked Lee on to the floor.

Dinner was wonderful. Naruto and Lee did most of the talking, while Neji and Sasuke would throw in a comment or two about the training. The girls laughed the whole time. For the first time in a long time Naruto felt like he had a family. People he could come home too. People he could count on in more ways than one. It felt good, really good. This is how he wanted his new life with Hinata to be like. He wanted his house to be full of laughter. He wanted it to smell of food, and clean sheets. From under the table Naruto squeezed Hinata's thigh. She turned her head slowly and smiled at him. Naruto wanted to live in that one smile forever.

After dinner everyone broke up into groups. Lee and Sakura went to the living room, Sasuke went to his room, Neji went home, and Naruto and Hinata went to the roof. The night air was cold, but not too cold. They sat side by side, with Naruto holding her close.

"Naruto, you scared?"

Naruto looked up at the stars. He knew she wasn't talking about some distant battle, or a future mission. "Sometimes. You?"

"Yeah."

Naruto turned and kissed her temple. "We'll be fine." Naruto continued to look at the stars. He was enjoying the silence, the cool air, the smell of her hair. He loved this. With Sasuke he was loud and annoying, but with her he could be quiet and not feel awkward. He liked that he didn't have to compete for her attention. She gave it to him willingly. He could just sit there with her and do nothing. They didn't need to talk, they didn't need to fight; all they needed to do was enjoy each other.

--

Sakura was in the middle of telling Lee about the Sand, since her letters to him were more romantic than informative, when she yawned. Lee smiled and Sakura blushed. Taking it as a sign, Lee got up and stretched. When he lifted his arms over his head the tight black shirt he was wearing moved up, revealing just a small hint of skin. Sakura wasn't sure if Lee did it on purpose or not.

"Well I'm tired too. I guess I'll go home."

As he turned towards the door, Sakura reached out and grabbed his hand. Lee turned back to look at her.

"Sleep here." Lee turned and pulled Sakura up from her seat. "Sleep here in my room."

"Okay." Whether or not Lee intended for Sakura to ask her to spend the night didn't matter to her anymore. She just wanted him there, with her, doing everything and nothing. It didn't matter to her. His presence alone was enough for her.

--

Sasuke had a huge craving for a glass of water. Rolling out of bed slowly, he walked to the kitchen. On his way there he noticed that the door to Naruto's bedroom was open. A quick glance inside revealed the room was empty. Forgetting his glass of water Sasuke went outside and headed for the roof. Sure enough Naruto and Hinata were asleep. He kicked Naruto in the head until Naruto finally opened his eyes.

Naruto turned his sleepy eyes from Sasuke to Hinata and nodded. After a quick yawn and a stretch, Naruto picked Hinata up and ran toward the Hyuuga compound.

--

Naruto turned and looked at the alarm clock next to him.

4:57am.

Cursing lightly under his breath, Naruto rolled over and tried to find that one glorious position that would instantly put him back to sleep. After lightly dozing off, he once again rolled over to look at the time.

5:02am.

Naruto closed his eyes, sighed deeply and gave up. His internal clock was too screwed up from the training to ignore. He knew he wouldn't be able to find sleep again. As he got up he heard Sasuke open his door. Naruto smiled. At least he wasn't the only one who was all messed up. Naruto rushed to the bathroom. As he closed the door he stuck his tongue out at Sasuke, who flipped him off. After washing up and dodging a punch aimed at his head from Sasuke, Naruto headed for the kitchen. The least he could do was make breakfast.

"Did you get in trouble last night?" Sasuke's voice was always deeper than usual after just waking up.

"No. Hanabi saw us arrive. She said everyone kind of expected Hinata to come home late." Naruto moved aside as Sasuke cracked some eggs.

"The tournament is next week."

"I know. I can't wait to see everyone."

Sasuke reached over Naruto and grabbed a fork. Naruto was too busy chopping vegetables for the eggs to move aside. "Are you gonna be on duty during the tournament?"

Naruto dropped the knife and stared blankly at the wall. He remained completely still for a few moments before turning to look at Sasuke. "Oh crap you're right! I'll see if Tsuande will place me in the arena or something."

--

Aside from trying to figure out how to convince Tsunade to change his duty location, Naruto had one very important thing to figure out. Where were he and Hinata going to live? There was no real rush in finding a place since they had two temporary locations to stay at, but still. The quicker they could move out the better. Luckily they already had somewhat of an idea of the kind of place they wanted. Something small, maybe a small apartment to start off. Then later they could try for a house. After calculating their combined incomes, and taking into consideration food and utilities they had a general idea of what they could afford.

Almost all the apartment complexes in Konoha housed ninjas. The villagers either lived above their shops, or on small farms outside the village walls. Naruto was surprised at the friendly reception they received at every location they went too. It felt good to be welcomed. After looking for most of the afternoon, Naruto and Hinata decided to head back to Naruto's place to discuss which complex they liked the most. As they approached the house there were two familiar people standing on their doorstep.

"Gaara!"

Gaara and Temari turned at the sound of Naruto's voice. Temari smiled and waved, where as Gaara just tilted his head in greeting.

"Hey guys. Oh this is my finance Hinata." Hinata smiled and bowed her head slightly. She was never surprised at how casual Naruto acted around people, even leaders. "So what are you guys doing here?"

Temari smiled and leaned against the doorframe. "We're here to see you actually."

"Really?"

Naruto watched Gaara reach into his brown jacket and pull out a formal looking scroll. "This is my wedding gift to you."

Naruto took the scroll and opened it. Hinata leaned over his shoulder to look at what was inside. She gasped as she read it, and Naruto almost dropped it.

"We can't take this."

"Why not?"

"It's too much."

"I think its deserving."

Naruto stared at Gaara. He knew he wasn't going to win this argument. Once Gaara set his mind to something there was no way of changing it, at least not without an ass kicking.

"Naruto-kun," Naruto turned to Temari, "think of it as our way of saying thank you."

Naruto looked from Temari, to Gaara and then back down at the scroll. The scroll was a deed to a house. Naruto didn't care if it was a one-bedroom shack in the middle of a swamp this was still too much. Simply accepting it was too much for him to handle. He could feel Hinata's grip tighten around his forearm. She felt the same way. He had to repay then somehow. As his mind raced through possibilities, one finally occurred to him. Naruto couldn't help but smile.

"I don't feel right simply taking this, so let me repay you in my own way."

Gaara became intrigued, and it showed in the way his shoulders changed position. "What way?"

"It's been a long time since I've had a really challenging spar." Naruto's smile went from pleasant to downright mischievous. It made Hinata more nervous than she wanted to admit. Sparring with the Gaara was one thing, but smiling like that was simply not normal even for Naruto.

"When?"

"Now."

"Where?"

"You decide."

"You know this area better than I do."

Naruto turned his head to the side. After a few moments he turned back to Gaara. "How about where we had our last battle."

"That's fine. Let me get my things and I will meet you there."

"Don't be late."

--

"He's going to fight who?"

"The Kazekage."

"Why?" Hinata handed Sakura the scroll. "Naruto are you stupid?"

Naruto smiled and continued to ignore Sakura. She happened to come home as Naruto was gathering some of his weapons. Sasuke was already home when he arrived with Hinata. But he disappeared after Naruto told him about Gaara.

"Naruto don't ignore me!"

"Sakura I'll be fine. Hey don't throw that!" Naruto was able to catch the scroll before it hit his face. After making sure it was still intact he placed it in the top drawer to his dresser.

"And what are you doing?"

Naruto turned around and saw a very angry Sakura glaring at a battle ready Sasuke. He should have known that Sasuke would have wanted to tag along.

"You ready yet?"

Naruto grabbed his katana, strapped it to his back and nodded. As he walked by Hinata, Naruto leaned down kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "I'll be home before dinner. Promise." When he leaned back there was a small smile on her lips.

"Okay. Have fun."

Hinata watched Naruto and Sasuke run off into the distance. Sakura was still huffing around in the house. When Hinata couldn't see them anymore without activating her** Byakugan**, she went back inside. She found Sakura in the living room slowly destroying a pillow.

"How can you be so calm? Don't you know what happened the last time those two fought?"

Hinata sat down next to Sakura and carefully reached out for the pillow in her hands. "Yes I do. Naruto told me all about it. But really Sakura, you out of everyone should know what the Kazekage is like. Besides there was no animosity between them."

"That's not what has me worried. I trust Naruto and I trust Gaara. What I don't trust is the demons inside of them."

Hinata stopped trying to take the pillow away from Sakura and instead turned her hands to the seat cushion. "What do you mean?"

"Gaara's demon is sealed differently. While I was in the Sand I mentioned to Gaara that Naruto's seal was slowly dissolving. Well, he got curious and wanted to me to check if the same thing was happening to him. Obviously I was curious too. It's not everyday one gets to study seals like those. So I checked." Sakura paused and looked down at the pillow in her hands.

"What did you find?"

Sakura kept her eyes down as she spoke. "Gaara's demon is sealed in a completely different way than Naruto's is. The seal is also very different. Whereas in Naruto the seal was one of voluntary sacrifice, Gaara's was not. Naruto has a large amount of control. Only in extreme cases does he lose himself to the Kyuubi. Gaara has little to no control over his demon. He cannot work with the demon, he cannot negotiate with it, he can't even control how much of it to let out. It's either all or nothing. Both have learned ways of dealing with their demons, ways you and me can't even begin to imagine. Even though Gaara, like Naruto, benefited in certain ways from having the demon inside of him, there are more negatives than positives. He can never merge with it like Naruto will. When Gaara dies, I don't know if he'll take the demon with him."

Hinata sat in silence and let the words sink in. It never occurred to her how much control Naruto really had over the Kyuubi. Yes, he did lose control that one time in the Tea, but she could understand why. Now it made sense why Sakura was nervous. If Gaara lost control there was no way he could stop his demon.

"Maybe I'm being overly dramatic. It's all this examination, wedding, and promotion stress. Those two don't seem to stress over it as much as they really should, so I feel like I have to." Sakura felt a bit guilty for worrying Hinata. Really with all the things going on in Hinata's life at the moment, seals and demons did not need to be added to the list. She had to get Hinata's mind on something else, quick.

"I completely understand. Although now with this house that's one last thing we have to worry about."

"That's true." Sakura set the pillow aside and stood up. It always helped her to talk about what was bothering her. As soon as she vocalized what was bothering her, she would feel like a weight had been lifted. Maybe it was the idea that now, maybe someone else, would be bothered with her. Lee was always good at things like that. At the thought of Lee, something suddenly occurred to Sakura.

"Hinata, have you thought about what you're going to wear on your honeymoon?"

Telling by the blush on Hinata's face, Sakura knew she wasn't thinking about seals and demons anymore.

--

Sasuke perched himself on a nearby tree and watched as Naruto cracked his back. Gaara was in another tree checking the straps to his gourd as Temari added some kunai to his pouch. Sasuke wasn't really sure why she was doing that; maybe it made her feel better.

"You nervous?"

Naruto turned his back to Gaara and smiled at Sasuke. "Not really."

"Don't get too hurt, we still have our Anbu test."

"I know. I'm not stupid you know."

"Sometimes you make me doubt that."

Naruto lazily kicked out at Sasuke, who easily pushed his foot away. Sasuke looked over at Gaara. Gaara motioned with his head to Naruto and Sasuke, and Temari nodded. She gathered her fan and jumped over to them.

"He's ready. Mind if we share a tree?"

Sasuke shook his head. He then turned to Naruto and smirked. "Try not to attract too much attention. All we need is half the village coming out here to investigate."

"Party pooper." With that Naruto turned and jumped to a tree directly in front of the one Gaara had occupied. They both simply stood there and measured each other up. After almost two minutes of nothing, Naruto smirked and reached into his pouch. He pulled out some fingerless gloves. Without looking away from Gaara he proceeded to put them on. "You know I never got the opportunity to test the speed of your sand."

Naruto gave Gaara just enough time to tilt his head down and smirk before he rushed him. It started out just like Naruto expected. Every punch, every kick and every projectile was blocked by the sand. Once Naruto felt that he had a pretty good idea of the reaction time for the sand, he jumped back and formed a **Rasengan**. Once again he rushed Gaara. Gaara jumped back but left behind a wall of sand. Naruto easily broke through it with the Ragengan still intact, only to find another wall. After the third wall, Naruto lost patience and jumped up over the wall. As soon as he spotted red hair he rushed forward. He knew that it was a potential mistake since he didn't actually see the rest of Gaara's body, but at the moment he was a little frustrated and didn't really care.

Luckily for Gaara, he noticed Naruto flying down at him. Gaara simply jumped to another tree. Naruto didn't have time to change direction and ended up destroying the tree with the Rasengan. Naruto used the impact from the exploding tree to propel himself at Gaara once again. He reached Gaara much faster than he normally would, and Naruto was hoping to use that to his advantage as he directed a kick to Gaara's head. Unfortunately, the sand was quicker. It grabbed Naruto by his ankle and threw him to the ground.

Naruto landed on the ground with a loud thud. As he slowly stood up, he felt blood trickle down his chin. He had accidentally bitten his lip when he hit the ground. This sparing match was going much better than he expected. Sure he was getting thrown around, but that's how it always started. Naruto knew the pattern for his fights. He starts out slow, gets a feel for his enemy, and then he moves in for the kill.

It was time to move in for the kill. Naruto spit some blood onto the grass and smiled up at Gaara. "Time to get serious." Naruto put his hands together and started channeling chakra. The cut on his lip instantly healed as the red chakra covered his body. The marks on his face became slightly darker, and his eyes changed color.

From the tree Gaara watched Naruto. When he saw just what Naruto was doing, he brought his hands together. But he did so for a different reason. Just as Naruto finished channeling his chakra, the sand finished forming a shield around Gaara. Naruto had only seen this once before, when Gaara fought Sasuke in their first chuunin exam. He knew it was possible to break past the giant ball of sand. But Naruto didn't have the Sharingan or the Chidori. He had the Ragengan, but lacked the proper speed. He would need to force his chance using another method.

"Taiju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Clones appeared everywhere. They covered the trees and forest floor. Some even appeared on the branch Sasuke was perched on.

"Show off."

The clone next to Sasuke smiled and stuck his chest out. "Don't be jealous." Sasuke instantly destroyed that clone. From within the sea of clones the real Naruto screamed. "Hey, don't interfere."

Sasuke had to suppress the urge to flip Naruto off.

--

Tsunade was in her office when she felt it. The huge chakra surge could only come from a select few. She smiled when she didn't feel any killer intent mixed within the chakra. But her smile quickly faded. People were going to be banging on her door now telling her they had felt some powerful chakra.

That was just like Naruto to create more work for her by simply having fun.

--

Kakashi momentarily looked up from his book. "Naruto is sparring with Gaara."

Jirayia lowered his telescope and looked in the same direction as Kakashi. "Yup, that's them."

--

Sasuke watched as the clones bombarded the ball of sand. He couldn't help but be impressed with Naruto. Every time a wave of clones attacked, not only did the number of clones attacking increase but the locations of the attacked were becoming more methodical. Naruto was trying to find the weak point. There were too many clones for the ball to attack. Naruto simply had to find the right number and the right locations. The only problem was that that strategy took patience, and at the moment Naruto was running low on that.

--

It wasn't so much that Naruto was running low on patience. Patience he had. The problem was that Naruto was getting bored. Gaara was not being a very good sparring partner. This wasn't as exciting as he had originally anticipated.

'Oh screw it.'

Naruto joined the clones in the final attack. Thankfully by this point he had figured out the gist of the defense. He had the clones attack the opposite side of the ball, Rasengans in hand. Naruto knew all these clones would be destroyed well before they came within striking range. Having a clone actually hit the ball wasn't the point. Drawing all of Gaara's attention to that side was.

As the clones attacked, Naruto formed his own Rasengan and had a clone throw him toward the ball. Gaara noticed too late. There was a huge explosion of sand and clones. The vast majority of the clones were destroyed in the blast. Those that weren't destroyed survived by taking shelter behind trees.

Before the sand had a chance to settle or reform, Gaara appeared above it. From his floating island of sand, Gaara raised his hands. The sand began to cluster together. Hundreds of clusters simply floated in the air for a moment before forming sharp needles. When Gaara lowered his hands, the needles shot down.

Sasuke had a moment of panic, before he realized everything was hit expect the tree he and Temari were sharing. The popping of clones reverberated throughout the forest, and then the forest went dead silent. There was no sign of movement anywhere. Sasuke was confident that Naruto was all right. Naruto had a way of surviving the impossible. Just as this thought passed through his brain, Sasuke was shoved aside by Naruto. Sasuke's next thought was, 'Asshole.'

Naruto jumped at Gaara, katana ready. The sand reacted quickly and knocked Naruto back onto a treetop. Gaara lowered himself on a nearby treetop as well. "Clever using their tree to hide."

"I am a self proclaimed genius." Naruto had just enough time to register a snicker, probably from Sasuke, before a sand clone attacked him. Naruto was quick to slash it down. Before the next clone could attack, Naruto moved to a closer treetop. As he fought the next clone, he slowed pushed his way toward Gaara. Gaara must have gotten nervous because after Naruto destroyed the clone, two replaced it.

Naruto flipped the handle of the katana so that the blade was parallel with his forearm. Having the katana positioned that way allowed Naruto the freedom to slash, kick and punch with more ease. Naruto decided not to destroy these two clones. Instead he waited. He would wait for an opening and attack Gaara head on. He knew from watching Gaara battle before that he relied on his clones as a defense way too much. He was way too cocky in battle, a result of sand that moved without his command. But everyone made mistakes.

When the mistake happened Naruto was ready to exploit it. The clones, for only a small moment, were not on rhythm. When that moment happened, Naruto knew Gaara would have to focus on getting them back into rhythm. With Gaara's focus momentarily on something else, Naruto seized the moment and threw his katana at Gaara. Naruto had moved close enough to Gaara that instead of thinking about using the sand, Gaara had tried to dodge it himself. But just as Naruto had hoped, Gaara was too slow. The katana lodged itself into Gaara's shoulder.

All Naruto saw next was Gaara reach for the handle before the clones exploded. The small blast threw Naruto off the tree to the forest ground. As he fell Naruto felt it. Gaara's chakra changed. When he landed, Naruto immediately looked up at Gaara. Instead of seeing Gaara on the top of a tree, he saw a foot coming at him. Naruto grabbed the leg and using Gaara's momentum, spun around and threw him into a tree. Gaara hit the tree, much to Naruto's surprise. He expected the sand to catch him, especially when there were hints of the demon in Gaara's chakra as well as on Gaara. His eyes had gone from green to yellow.

Naruto fell into a fighting stance when Temari jumped in front of him. She had her back to Naruto. "Gaara, stop!" The demand was laced with fear, which made Naruto nervous. Temari walked toward Gaara and tried to touch him, but Gaara simply pushed her roughly aside.

This time it was Sasuke who blocked his view. But Naruto pushed past Sasuke and walked toward Gaara. As he approached him, Gaara stopped walking. The smirk on his face made Gaara look alien. It made Naruto want to punch him, which he did. "Snap out of it, you're scaring everyone!" Just to make sure he got his point across, Naruto flared his chakra and used it to push Gaara back a bit.

Gaara stumbled back. He grabbed his head, and struggled with himself for a bit. "I'm sorry," he fell to his knees and looked over at Naruto, "I blacked out."

Naruto walked away for a moment to hunt for his katana. Sasuke stayed behind and watched as Temari tended to Gaara. When Naruto returned he was putting his katana back into its sheath, which was still strapped to his back. Gaara slowly stood up and faced Naruto.

"I don't control my demon like you do."

--

"Before I leave I need to tell you something."

The entire walk back to the village was somewhat stranded. No one had said anything until Gaara motioned Naruto over. Naruto looked at Sasuke, who knew without being told not to follow.

"What is it?"

"There are people mobilizing against us."

"Sand and Leaf?"

"No. Us." It took Naruto a nanosecond to understand. It had been years since anyone had tried to do anything to demon vessels. "Are you taking a honeymoon?"

"Actually yeah."

"Don't go. It won't be safe." Gaara must have seen the crushed look on Naruto's face because he sighed deeply and closed his eyes. "But if you must, come to the Sand. We can protect the both of you there."

"That bad huh?"

"They are strong. Too strong for you alone."

"Thanks for the warning."

--

The day before the tournament

--

Sakura pulled a book off her bookcase and walked to the living room. Naruto was in the shower and Sasuke was in his room, doing whatever it was he did in there. Lee was on a mission, and Hinata was busy with her training. For the first time in a long time Sakura had some peace. She had some time to sit and enjoy a book she had bought a month ago. But of course, just as she sat down on the couch there was a knock on the door. Groaning loudly, Sakura put her book down and went to answer it.

"What?" Sakura wanted to eat her words when she saw three Anbu standing on the doorstep.

"Haruno-san we're here for Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura was going to kill them. They were late for their test. She knew it was today, just later today. "Uhhh….yeah. Let me go get them. Um, wait here." As soon as she turned around, she ran down the hall towards Sasuke's room. Without knocking she threw the door open. Sasuke was in his boxers and looked both surprised and pissed off.

"Sakura, what the hell?"

"Three Anbu are here for you and Naruto!"

"Shit."

As Sasuke frantically looked around for clothes, Sakura ran to the bathroom. She broke the door open, without meaning too, and screamed at Naruto.

"Naruto!"

As Naruto fell out of the shower, he took the shower curtain with him, much to Sakura's joy.

"Fuck! Sakura?"

"The Anbu are here for you." She didn't wait for a reply. She turned and left before Naruto completely embarrassed himself as well as her. She sprinted down the hall, but before coming into view of the Anbu she stopped and strolled toward them. "They're on their way."

"Yes, we heard." It was then that Sakura noticed one of the Anbu's shoulders were violently shaking, and the other doing a very bad attempt at holding in his laughter. Sakura was about to apologize when there was a loud crash and Naruto came sliding into the living room, still wrapped in the shower curtain.

"Fuck!"

One of the Anbu let out a loud laugh before quickly getting control of himself. The Anbu standing next to him elbowed him. "Sorry."

"Dobe, what are you doing?"

"Not my fault Sakura scared me half to death!" As Naruto got up and walked back to his room with the shower curtain wrapped around his waist, he paused and looked at the Anbu. "And you guys are way too early."

"There was a change of plans."

"Yeah thanks for the notification."

--

Five minutes later, wet hair and all, they were off. The Anbu lead Naruto and Sasuke to the Anbu headquarters. Once inside they entered a doorway Naruto had never entered before. The door said "Restricted". There was a long flight of stairs. At the bottom was a small arena. Anbu captains took all the seats. In the center were two chairs and two tables. Straight ahead was the Anbu Head.

"Welcome Uchiha, Uzumaki. Take a seat. These are all the captains of the Anbu. Hopefully you two will be joining their ranks." Naruto took a quick look around. He quickly spotted his captain, who slowly nodded at him. "Usually this test would be conducted individually, but this is a special circumstance. If one of you fails, you both fail. You will have to wait until next year to take the exam again. We will start small."

Two Anbu stepped forward and placed a booklet and a pencil on the tables.

"Inside is the information of a ninja. Your job is to write down what information you'll want from that ninja, why that specific information, a sample of questions you would ask, and any techniques you will use to gather this information. You have fifteen minutes."

Sasuke flipped the sheet and began to read. He read it over once, and then went over it again marking important facts. He knew Naruto had some experience in this area, but that didn't worry him. Trying not to seem even the slightest bit nervous in front of all the Anbu was making him self-conscience. But he could not show weakness. Instead he wrote like his life depended on it. Before he knew it the Anbu Head was talking again.

"Time is up." The two Anbu came out, took their booklets. Those two Anbu handed the booklets over to the Head, who read them. After reading them he wrote a small note and passed it around. Sasuke watched, without letting his eyes really wander as all the Captains marked it. Sasuke realized they were voting. After what seemed a lifetime the note made its way back to the Head. He quickly looked it over and nodded. Two more booklets were set before Naruto and Sasuke. "Now assume you are the captain of a team on an important mission. But the team members are not getting along, and it is putting the mission in jeopardy. Inside are the short histories of your team members, as well as the mission details. Explain how you would solve the problem, while still completing the mission. You have twenty minutes."

As soon as Sasuke read the information he knew how to solve the problem. When he could no longer think of what to write he put his pencil down. He glanced over at Naruto, and saw that Naruto was still frantically writing. Sasuke became a bit nervous. Should he write more? He thought about writing more down, but then decided not too. That would be a sign of weakness, and insecurity.

"Time is up." Once again the same voting system occurred, and once again two more booklets were brought out. "Last question. Both of you are together on the mission detailed inside. One of you falls behind. What would you do? You have ten minutes."

Sasuke smiled and opened the booklet. He wrote down two sentences and out his pencil down. He looked at Naruto. Naruto was also done writing.

"Do we have to wait ten minutes if we're both done?" Sasuke could only shake his head at Naruto's question.

"No I suppose not. Please stand." This time not only were the booklets taken, but so were the tables and chairs. Again, they waited as the Captains voted. Instead of two booklets, this time they were handed a single sheet of paper. "Now for the final part of the exam; the jutsus. You two will have to perform those jutsus, in that order, simultaneously."

Naruto almost dropped the paper when he heard the instructions. "Excuse me? You want us to do these at the same time?"

"Yes. You may take a few moments to look them over."

Naruto looked at Sauske. Sasuke could see that Naruto was nervous. "We'll be fine. Come on memorize the list."

Upon hearing that Naruto calmed down. If Sasuke wasn't nervous, why should he be nervous. They had been in enough battles, both with each other and against each other, to know how to pace themselves.

"Okay, please get into position." Naruto crumbled the sheet of paper and threw it over his shoulder. There were a few snickers from the audience. "Begin."

--

Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit of déjà vu. There were a lot of people in the house, and all of them were waiting for Naruto and Sasuke. The only difference this time was that Kiba was showing off the new trick he taught Akamaru. It was completely vulgar and crude and so typical of him. Hinata didn't seem to be nervous at all. Sakura would have to thank Kiba later for keeping Hinata distracted and entertained.

As Sakura began to walk toward the crowd she stopped and looked at the front door. All the noise in the house seemed to have died down and they too looked toward the front door. They all felt it. Naruto and Sasuke were coming. Sakura opened the door and sure enough there they were. The house was silent for a total of two seconds before everyone started cheering.

Naruto and Sasuke were wearing Anbu uniforms. As soon as the cheers started the pair was engulfed in the crowd. Everyone wanted to shake their hands and pat them on the back. Naruto looked around and saw Hinata walk into his room. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled before disappearing.

"Thanks everyone for being here. But uh..." Naruto looked over at Sasuke.

"We have to go. We just came here to get our stuff."

Everyone started groaning as Naruto and Sasuke pushed past them and towards their rooms. Naruto walked in his room and shut the door behind him. Hinata was standing before him with a smile on her face.

"You did it."

"We'll be set for life." He walked toward her and hugged her.

"Always come home."

"Don't start to worry. I haven't even been sent on mission. They want us to go to some Anbu captain initiation thing."

"Just promise me."

Naruto cupped her face and kissed her forehead. "I promise." Hinata instantly felt better. She sat on the bed and watched as Naruto started to pack and gather weapons. When he finished packing he got on his knees in front of Hinata. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a patch about the size of his palm. There was an intricate black design on it that was similar in style to the anbu tattoo. "This is given to all the captains. We're supposed to sew it onto the inside of our vests."

Hinata ran her fingers over the patch and the design. "I'm so proud of you."

"When I get back I'll take you out to eat."

"What for?"

"To celebrate your promotion." Naruto smiled his trademark cheesy smile.

"But I haven't been promoted yet."

"You will be."

Naruto leaned forward and kissed Hinata on the forehead. Hinata reached up and cupped his face. Naruto moved back, but not too far. Hinata started to run her fingers through his hair and around the back of his neck. Naruto sighed and placed his nose and lips on the side of her neck. He breathed in her scent. She smelled incredibly feminine and he couldn't resist her. Naruto started to kiss her neck and shoulders. Hinata leaned her head to side, welcoming the contact. Encouraged by her, Naruto grabbed Hinata from behind her knees and pulled her closer. In return Hinata nudged his head just enough to get a point across. Naruto turned his head and kissed Hinata. When he pulled back to look at her, the sight before him left him breathless.

Her eyes were hooded and her hair was slightly tousled.

"In a few weeks I'll make you mine."

Hinata remained silent. She ran her hands down his shoulders and then up his chest. It was a simple movement, but so incredibly intimate. Just as Naruto went to kiss Hinata again, Sasuke threw the door open.

"Naruto we have to go."

Naruto sighed and hung his head. "Okay. I'll be back in a few days." He looked at Hinata expecting to see annoyance. Instead she smiled at him.

"I know. Go before I make you even later."

Naruto returned the smile and stood. He grabbed his pack and ran out the door. As they headed toward the gates to meet their trainers Naruto started to put his mask on. He turned and watched Sasuke lower his mask. When he saw it, Naruto laughed. Leave it to Sasuke to pick a mask not affiliated with an animal. Just a plain mask with swirls on it.

--

The Wedding Day

--

For what seemed like the hundredth time Mika ran in the room and checked on the boys. Naruto felt sorry for her. She seemed more nervous than all the members of the wedding party combined. Naruto stood and walked over to a mirror. He needed to adjust his kimono. Thankfully, Sasuke came up behind him and roughly lifted Naruto's arm.

"Hey take it easy." But Naruto lifted his arms anyway and let Sasuke fix the outfit. Just then Mika ran in, again, and shrieked something about Naruto and Shikamaru not being ready yet. Naruto smiled sheepishly at her and Shikamaru remained her there were still two hours before the ceremony started. Mika gasped, looked at the paperwork in her hands and ran out.

"She's annoying."

"She's just nervous. Leave Mika alone Sasuke." Sasuke made a face, but continued to help Naruto. From the mirror Naruto could see that Neji and Lee were dressed and ready. And that Shikamaru was indeed nowhere near ready. "Should I brush my hair?"

"It's the least you can do."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke and walked over to a vanity. After searching around he found a comb and tried to run it through his hair. After three failed attempts, Neji walked up behind him and took the comb away.

"Stop before you rip your hair out."

Neji opened a drawer Naruto had skipped over and pulled out a brush. He started by brushing out the tangles in the ends of the hair before moving closer to the scalp. As Sasuke walked by, Naruto reached over and grabbed his arm.

"Can you get Shikamaru to change?"

Sasuke smirked and nodded. "With pleasure."

"Lee." Naruto looked at Lee through the mirror. "Can you check on the girls?" Naruto didn't need to tell Lee twice.

"You nervous?"

Naruto met Neji's gaze in the mirror. "Actually, no. Weird huh?"

"No, it just hasn't hit you yet."

The room remained silent for a moment before Shikamaru got up and grabbed his clothes and headed for the bathroom. "Fine. God you bug more than Ino."

Even though Sasuke was out of his field of vision, Naruto could feel that Sasuke was mad. The whole village probably felt it.

"Don't get mad Sasuke." Sasuke came out from behind a screen and glared at Neji. "He's just nervous."

Sasuke pointed in the direction that Shikamaru had stormed off. "He is not the one getting married."

Neji smiled softly and tilted his head slightly in a taunting sort of way. "I wasn't talking to you, and I didn't mean Shikamaru." Sasuke's glare intensified and Naruto started to laugh. "Here you can do the rest."

Neji handed the brush to Naruto and made his way over to a chair. He sat down, looked out the window and ignored Sasuke, who by this point could melt metal with his look. Naruto smiled to himself and went back to his hair. He spent the next few hours fiddling around with is outfit and the outfit of everyone else. The nerves were getting to him. Then Mika walked in, she looked drained.

"Okay boys time for you to get to your places."

The boys walked out and met the girls in the foyer to the church. Everyone paired up, Lee with Sakura, Neji with TenTen, Shikamaru with Ino, and Sasuke with Hanabi. Naruto was to walk in by himself. At the front of the church the boys and girls separate. The girls go to the left and the boys to the right, behind Naruto. The priest was in the middle. Naruto glanced over at him and smiled. The priest smiled back. Naruto then turned and looked over the audience. There were so many faces. Naruto couldn't spot anyone. His heart was beating furiously, and he felt a headache coming on. When he formed a fist he felt his palms were sweating.

"Dobe, calm down. Don't embarrass me."

First came calm, then anger. Did Sasuke just tell him not to embarrass _him_? Naruto was about to turn around when the music started. All eyes turned toward the doorway as Hinata walked in. Naruto's world narrowed down to her. She was amazingly radiant. Her white dress was beyond words. It clung to all the right parts, and cascaded perfectly. When she reached Naruto she held out her hand, which he took. They both turned and faced the priest. He smiled again, and opened raised his hands as he addressed everyone.

When asked about it years later, Naruto said all he could remember was her warm, soft hand in his.

--

Naruto would have to give it up to Mika, she sure knew how to plan a party. The location she had found was perfect. It felt intimate, but was large enough to hold everyone comfortably. People were dancing, eating and laughing. After making their grand entrance, the newly married couple began to make their rounds. He wasn't sure how it happened but at one point Naruto was cornered by Kiba. He reeked of alcohol and slurred his words. From what Naruto could figure out Kiba was telling him that if he ever hurt Hinata he would personally kill Naruto. Then, mush to Naruto's horror, Kiba hugged him. Hard. From behind Kiba, Naruto spotted Shino. Shino did the universal drinking sign and walked over to them.

"Kiba, Akamaru is eating your food."

"I'll kill him!"

"Yes, go. Kill him." Naruto and Shino watched Kiba stumble away. "Sorry, he drank a little too much, a little too fast."

"Yeah, I can see that."

The party lasted long into the night. Even in the early morning hour's people were still dancing and laughing. For many it had been years since they had gotten together with their old teams, for others it was an opportunity to see old friends. Missions had a way of keeping people apart. When it was time for the newly weds to leave, Gaara pulled Naruto aside.

"There is a carriage outside. It will take you to the Sand. My own ninjas will assure your safe arrival. My brother will welcome you."

"Thanks. I owe you one."

"I'll charge you later."

After quickly sneaking away and changing into more comfortable travel clothes, Naruto and Hinata announced their goodbyes. Everyone gathered around and followed them out to the carriage. Before entering the carriage Hinata turned her back to the crowd and threw her bouquet. People jumped, pulled and pushed to get it. When the dust settled a very embarrassed Lee smiled and waved the bouquet over his head.

--

By carriage the trip took a little under two days, much to Naruto's frustration. When they finally arrived, Kankuro was waiting for them. Thankfully he didn't try to give any tours, or invite them to dinner. He simply took them straight to their honeymoon suite, which turned out to be more like a small-secluded cottage. The cottage had a small creak in the back, along with a garden.

When Kankuro left, Naruto and Hinata made quick to explore the cottage. It had a very homey feel to it. The kitchen was fully stocked, and the bathroom had a wonderful array of toiletries. But it was the bedroom that really took their breath away. The bed was huge. The covers simply begged to be touched. There were more pillows than Naruto knew what to do with.

Hinata walked over to the bed and sat down. "Do you mind if I take a nap? The ride here wasn't very comfortable."

"No go ahead. I think I'll join you." Naruto took off his shoes and shirt. Without pulling the covers back Naruto lay down on his side and extended his arm. He watched as Hinata took off her shoes and lay down with her back pressed to his chest. He didn't even remember falling asleep.

--

His chest was cold. His arm was cold and the smell of lavender was faint. Naruto opened his eyes to find the room dark and Hinata not on the bed next to him. He sat up and froze. Hinata was standing by a window, with her back to him. She had on a sheer robe. As he studied her he couldn't stop his heart from speeding up. The little light that came through the window made every curve visible. He could see the curse of her shoulders, the shape of her legs and waist, the roundness of her butt. Even though she had more muscle definition than ordinary women, she was completely feminine. He shifted on the bed and she turned to look at him.

"I didn't want to wake you."

"You didn't." Hinata took a step toward Naruto. "No. Stay like you were, you look amazing." She hesitated for a moment, then turned around and faced the window again. After a few minutes Hinata turned and walked toward a lap next to the bed. Before she could turn it on, Naruto grabbed her by the hips and pulled her on the bed.

He wanted to tell her so many things, but he couldn't figure out where to start. Instead he smiled. He could just make out her smile. Lifting her so that she was on her knees in front of him, Naruto moved to his knees as well. He reached up and removed her robe, kissing her shoulder as it was exposed. She could hear her breathing quicken. He brushed his lips from her shoulder, to the base of her throat up to her lips. He wasn't surprised by the hunger he felt and she the urgency she kissed him. He had waited for this for so long. Now he knew that she had too.

"You are stunning."

He looked at her. He could she was studying him. He saw her eyes look over his face then move down to his chest. She reached out and touched his chest. His skin burned at her touch. God, he wanted to reach out and grab her, but instead he decided to let her explore. He closed his eyes and let himself get lost in her touch.

"I can't believe I'm your wife. I've wanted you for so long and here you are."

"I'm all yours."

She leaned in and kissed Naruto without reservation. Finally she could let go. She could get lost in his touch, she wanted to get lost. She wanted this, wanted him.

--

Tsunade looked over the files about the two demon vessels. There were so many facts and small details that it was easy to get lost in them. There had to be something she had looked over. Some small detail; something. Anything.

Taking a breath she opened the files. The Mist ninja was found by Shikamaru. He had a demon was unsuccessfully re-sealed within him. Jirayia found Royiaru's brother from the Rain. His re-seal had worked. She knew from reports that the Mist ninja was a result of the Sound and that the Rain ninja was the work of Akatsuki.

But why? Why was the Sound so interested in demons? Yes Orochimaru was interested in seals, but this was beyond his scope of interest. He had never showed interest in Naruto, who he could have captured and experimented on many times.

Putting down the file, she picked up a mission report by Kakashi. He had found nothing of interest. The Mist ninja was just a normal ninja. Nothing made him stand out. It was the same thing with the Rain ninja that had the demon re-sealed in within them. But Royiaru said that Kabuto and Orochimaru showed interest in his brother. They knew he had a demon and used it to their advantage.

But the same answer kept coming up. Why? She had a hunch that Akatsuki was doing it for their own gain, but there weren't enough demons for all the members. But the Sound? They had their own agenda, their own reasons. Reasons that weren't the same as Akasuki. Reasons Tsunade couldn't figure out.

She threw her head back and groaned. There had to be a connection.

The nin that appeared during the exam had a curse seal, but that was probably coincidence. She had examined his body. The seal he carried was fake, like Mizuki's. He would die with the seal. But again, why create a seal like that when Orochimaru was dead?

--

Tsunade hated nothing more than telling her students bad news. Gaara was leaving, which meant Sakura had to leave too. So she sat and waited. Sure enough Sakura almost ran into her office.

"Please tell me why? I've trained all there medical nins. They're more than prepared."

"I know."

"Then why?" Tsunade heard the desperation in her voice. She knew what she was doing was hurting her. She opened one of her desk drawers and pulled out a sake bottle.

"Lock the door." Sakura turned and did so. "What I tell you stays here. Don't tell anyone; not Lee, not Sasuke and not Naruto."

"Got it."

Tsunade took a quick swig of sake and got up. She walked over to a large desk and unlocked an overhead cabinet. She pulled out the box that was inside and walked over to Sakura. She placed the box in front of Sakura and removed the lid. Inside were files on Naruto, Sasuke, Orochimaru, Kabuto, all the known members of Akastuki and files on the recently dead ninjas.

"Look these over. The answer is in there. Ask me questions when you are done."

Sakura made herself comfortable on a couch and began reading the files. As she read them she was surprised by how many names and faces she recognized. It took her more than two hours to read them all and understand how all this information was connected. She stared at the Naruto's file. It all made sense, kind of. She felt the couch dip next to her.

"You think they'll use me. That's why you separated us. To make it harder for them."

"It's common knowledge that you are extremely talented. You could probably pull this off. Not that you would like to."

Sakura slammed Naruto's file shut."You should have told us."

"Why? So that Naruto could go off looking for them. So that Sasuke could leave again. So that you could fall into their hands. To start a war? No, I was trying to protect all of you."

"Give us some credit. We can handle this."

"It's my job to handle it, not yours."

"I understand that. But trust me; we will all stand behind you. We believe in you. Look at all you've done for us so far. We can handle this."

She looked so confident. She knew Sakura believed what she was saying. Tsunade could only hope Sakura was right.

"You better be right because if you're not I'll have you healing fish until you die."

--

--

For all those people who waited patiently for this release – **THANK YOU**! I had to walk away from the story because real life was becoming too much. I went through a some crazy issues. Three jobs, and two boyfriends. I was unemployed for four months and I'm slowly clawing my way out of bills. I know usually I respond to reviews, but there are so many I can't even get around to it. But thank you all for reading my story.

One of the reasons it took me so long to get back to this was because I had forgotten where I was going with it. Thankfully I kept notes, but still. I had to re-read chapters over and over to remember. As I told one person, "It's hard to walk away from a story, but even harder to walk back to it."

Now before I get any flames for it, I had planned on writing a lemon in this chapter. But after I started to write the scene I decided not to. I'll probably make up for it later. But the scene, I felt, didn't need it. Sorry.

This chapter was not beta'd. I'm going to try and get the ball rolling on my next chapter. I can feel the story coming back to me and the urge to write it returning as well. So just keep on bugging me. Believe me all those emails and reviews I received made me come back to my story.

**_So this chapter is dedicated to all the people who harassed me. :)_**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be a stripper.**

**Spoilers: **

**Warnings:This chapter is not complete and will never be complete. I have discontinued the story. I decided to post what I had completed thus far. Author notes at the bottom.  
**

**Chapter 23:**

**--**

"YAHOO!!" Lee's yell of joy was so loud he probably woke the dead.

"Lee be quiet." Sakura looked around and in embarrassment even though the only other person in the room was Sasuke. Sasuke got up and started to straighten the pictures on the wall.

"How did you convince her to change her mind?"

Sakura looked at Sasuke from the corner of her eye. She knew the tone he was using. "Well, we just talked. Nothing extraordinary." Sakura knew the answer was good enough for Lee. He didn't care how she managed to change Tsunades mind, only that she had. Sasuke on the other hand, Sakura would have to come up with something.

Sakura and Sasuke ate dinner in silence after Lee left to go on a short mission with Gai. The tension between them was thick. After eating, Sakura gathered the dishes and headed for the kitchen. She hoped that maybe if she avoided Sasuke the tension would go away. But when he entered the kitchen a few seconds later, Sakura felt the tension return.

"What did you really tell her?"

"That I didn't want to leave. The Sand's medical nins were ready. They don't need me anymore." Sakura turned and looked at Sasuke as she dried her hands with a towel.

"What else?"

"That was all."

Sasuke paused and looked at Sakura carefully. She was trying to remain emotionless but it wasn't working.

"You're lying."

"Sasuke –"

Sasuke rushed forwarded as Sakura raised her hand to brush his comment aside. He placed his hands on the counter behind her, trapping her.

"What did she make you promise not to say?"

Sakura knew she couldn't tell him. She had sworn not to tell him. "It was a top secret mission that required me to leave. But I'm done now. I don't have to go back."

"You cried when you left, and it wasn't because of some mission."

"No you see –"

"Stop lying to me!"

"I can't tell you!" Sakura screamed at Sasuke. She couldn't remember the last time she had screamed at him. She could feel the tears coming. Knowing how much crying upset Sasuke, Sakura looked down at their feet. "Believe me if I could, I would. But I can't."

"Sakura." Sasuke felt bad for yelling at Sakura and getting her upset, but he hated it when those close to him lied.

"I can't. You understand what it means when you're given an assignment and can't tell anyone. Don't put me in this position."

Sasuke took a step back. "I don't like it when you lie. If you had told me that from the beginning everything would have been fine." Sasuke turned and was about to leave the kitchen when Sakura grabbed his wrist.

"I'll tell you one thing." He turned to look at her, but she was still looking down. "Be careful. You and Naruto, please be careful."

Sasuke wanted to say something cocky to her to make her feel better. But when she looked up he swallowed his words. Her tears were about to spill over. "We'll be careful."

She smiled softly and turned back to the dishes. Sasuke watched her for a bit and left. Whatever was going on was serious. He didn't like it one bit, but at least he got Sakura to stop crying.

--

Naruto stood in the doorway of the house that Gaara had given him. He had been standing there for a while as Hinata thanked the man who was in charge of the carriage they had ridden in. He had to be seeing things. This had to be some kind of illusion.

"Hinata, look at this."

He heard her say good bye to the man and then felt her look past him. He had gotten used to the feeling of her Byakugan going through him. It always sent a shiver up his spine.

"This is amazing."

All of their things were moved in. As they walked through the house they saw some of their personal items. Pictures, chairs, tables, rugs, and weapons. Naruto even smiled when he spotted the small yellow frog Hinata had won for him on their first date sitting on top of the mantel.

"Naruto, this is like a dream." Naruto grabbed her and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Let me go tell my family that we're back."

"Okay, I'll meet you there. I just have to do one quick errand."

Naruto moved their luggage into the bedroom as Hinata left. When he left the house he made sure to lock the front door, although he doubted anyone would be stupid enough to steal something from his home. Within a few minutes he was knocking on Sasuke's door, which seemed so strange to him. But he didn't want to simply walk in since he no longer lived there.

But when no one answered the door, he decided to walk in. He found Sasuke in the kitchen. He was drying his hair with the towel he had around his neck.

"Welcome back."

"Thanks. I can't stay long I just came to give you this." Naruto pulled a key from his pocket and placed it on the kitchen table. He waved at Sasuke and walked out of the kitchen. He was almost to the front door when he heard Sasuke behind him.

"What's this?"

Naruto stopped and turned his body slightly toward Sasuke. "Well I don't live here anymore so I thought –"

"You thought wrong."

The anger in Sasuke's voice almost caught Naruto by surprise. If he wasn't so used to hearing that particular tone he might had been scared. "Sasuke –" But before he could finish Sasuke had already rushed toward him, leaving his towel hanging in midair for a second.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's collar and pulled him forward. Their noses were almost touching. "You keep this key." Sasuke was so angry he couldn't stop his Sharingan from blazing. "Don't you ever try to give it back."

Naruto took the key that was being shoved into his chest and pried Sasuke's fingers off his collar. "What can't live without me?"

Sasuke let go and started walking toward the kitchen. He picked up his towel and shook it off. "I can, but you may need a place to stay if she kicks you out."

"Asshole."

--

A few weeks after returning from the Sand, Naruto and Sasuke had their first mission as two man team. They had to retrieve a scroll for a small group of missing ninja. Once they had the scroll they were to return to the village and to report the location of the ninjas to the hunter nins. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto had gone through the training on how to dispose of a body so that other ninjas wouldn't be able to get information from it. That kind of training was reserved only for hunter nins. For this reason they were to leave the ninjas alive, but if lethal force was unavoidable they were granted permission to kill.

After getting their mission from Tsunade, Naruto went straight home to pack. As he walked into the bedroom Hinata was sitting on the bed brushing her wet hair. She saw Naruto pull his uniform out of the dresser and knew he was to leave on a mission. Hinata knew better than to ask questions or distract Naruto when he was preparing for a mission. His thoughts were on the mission at hand, and not on her. She understood completely since she would do the same thing, just not as intensely as Naruto would.

Hinata put her brush down and moved to Naruto's side of the bed. From under the bed she pulled out his chest full of tools and put it on the bed. She began to fill his pouches with kunai and shuriken. When she was done, Naruto was completely dressed and was checking his katana. He grabbed the pouches Hinata had prepared and strapped them to his belt. After adjusting his katana on his back he grabbed his Anbu mask and headed for the door.

"I'll come back I promise."

"I know." She didn't need to hear anything else.

When Naruto walked outside Sasuke was already waiting for him.

With a quick nod they were both gone.

--

After hours of walking and searching Sakura had found it; the last plant on her list. Earlier in the day one of the nurses had informed Sakura that they were out of certain ingredients. For some stupid reason Sakura hadn't gotten around to teaching some of the other nurses how to locate and mix the plants. So here she was, miles from the village with a pack full of weeds, bark, and flowers.

It was a hot day, but Sakura kind of enjoyed being alone. It gave her time to reflect. As she placed the last plant in a bag she thought of Lee and how happy she was with him. She giggled at her first memory of him. Her thoughts then wandered to Naruto and Sasuke. It had been a few days since they had left for their mission. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back soaking in the sun. She hoped they were okay.

As she put her pack back on she sensed a presence behind her. Pretending not to notice Sakura began to walk toward a line of trees a few yards away. As she walked she slowly reached for a kunai. But before she could grab it she felt the presence rush toward her. Instead of running to the trees, she turned and aimed a punch.

"WHOA SAKURA! STOP IT'S US!"

Sakura realized she was aiming at Naruto, who was on the ground trying to crawl backwards away from her. She couldn't stop so instead she hit the floor next to him. Naruto rolled sideways away from the point of impact.

"I told you not to scare her." Sakura looked up and saw Sasuke walking toward them.

"Yeah I'll keep that in mind next time." Naruto got up and dusted himself off. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Getting some supplies. Are you guys on your way back to the village?" Naruto nodded. Sakura did a quick once over and was relieved to see they were both uninjured. "Well since I'm done, mind if I tag along?"

"No, come on." Naruto smiled at Sakura. He looked so young right then. As Sakrua was about to turn in the direction of the village she noticed that all of a sudden both Naruto and Sasuke became instantly serious. Naruto turned his head slightly toward Sasuke and gave him a small nod.

"Yeah I noticed." It wasn't until then that Sakura felt it too. Two different chakra's were approaching them. Sakura turned and saw the two figures emerge from the tree line on the other end of the field. She instantly recognized them from the files Tsuande had showed her.

"Sakura." Naruto's voice was low and deep. She had never heard him speak that way before. It scared her even more. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, not wanting to look away from the two figures in front of her. Naruto's eyes were slit. A quick glance at Sasuke revealed his Sharingan. "Sakura leave."

"I can't just—"

"I said LEAVE!"

Sakura was stunned. Naruto had never spoken to her that way.

"No let her stay. It'll be more interesting that way."

The voice made Sakura feel dirty. She knew, even without looking, that the voice didn't belong to Itachi. She could feel Naruto and Sasuke's power. It was almost suffocating. But she also knew they couldn't handle this alone. They needed help, but could she get to the village fast enough. Then she felt it. Itachi and Kisame rushed forward. Naruto blocked Sakura from Kisame. Sakura scrambled back from them. Itachi and Sasuke were having it out in a battle of Sharingans, that in any other situation she might have enjoyed watching. She turned her attention back to Naruto, who was busy fighting Kisame. Quickly she dropped her pack and put on her gloves. She charged at Kisame. Long ago she had promised herself never to be a damsel in distress. Kisame was caught completely off guard when Sakura attacked him.

"You wanted me to stay. Did you change your mind already?"

As Sakura helped Naruto she could feel the familiar tingle in the air from genjutsus. She knew better than to turn around and look. Slightly distracted from the fight behind her, Sakura had just enough time to flip backwards as Kisame swung his sword at her. As soon as she landed she heard Saskue scream her name. She turned to see a kunai flying right at her.

--

Sasuke felt the ground shake when Sakura attacked Kisame. He hoped she could handle it, and if not, he hoped Naruto would make her leave. Sasuke focused his attention back at Itachi when he saw him shift his weight. Within seconds Itachi was going through seals and Sasuke copied every single one. For every illusion Itachi put Sasuke in, Sasuke put him in the exact same one. After the fifth illusion Itachi suddenly charged at Sasuke. Sasuke was caught off guard, but was able to pull out a kunai and block Itachi.

It was then he felt a pair of hands grab his arms and pull him to the ground. Before he could get away Itachi was standing on his elbows. He looked up at and mentally screamed at himself. At some point Itachi had made a clone of himself and snuck behind Sasuke. The clone had a kunai to Sasuke's throat.

"You know what your greatest weakness is?" Sasuke groaned as Itachi pressed down on his elbows as he spoke.

"What?"

"Your friends."

If it weren't for the Sharingan Sasuke would not have been able to see Itachi throw the kunai. Sasuke turned to see where the kunai was heading. He didn't even realize he was screaming at Sakura, but it was too late. She didn't have enough time to dodge it. Just as the kunai was about to hit its mark Sasuke lost sight of Sakura.

--

Sakura stared wide eyed at Naruto. She knew the kunai must be lodged somewhere in his back. The field was eerily silent.

"Naruto?" Sakura leaned forward a bit to try to look at Naruto in the eye. But he had his head tilted down and had his eyes closed. Sakura was about to take a step forward when she felt heat radiating off of him. "Naruto?" This time she whispered.

"Sakura, run. Now!"

Sakura was stunned at the tone in Naruto's voice. After some hesitation she turned and ran toward the village. Itachi made a quick clone and sent it after Sakura, but Naruto quickly destroyed it with some chakra. Naruto turned and Sasuke saw a look on his face he hadn't seen in years.

"You'll regret that."

"You always fight at full force Naruto-kun, even when you don't have the resources."

Surprised, Sasuke looked at Itachi to try and figure out what the heck he was talking about. But when he heard Naruto grunt he turned his attention back to Naruto. Naruto was on his knees and Kisame was standing behind him. His sword was sucking up all of Naruto's chakra including some of the demon chakra. Kisame was in obvious pain, but wouldn't let up. Right before passing out Naruto looked at Sasuke with a look of total regret. Once Naruto was out cold, Kisame picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.

Itachi looked down at Sasuke and said, "You'll come with us or he dies."

Sasuke didn't say a word. He hated to admit defeat and much less to Itachi.

--

Run. Run. Run. RUN!

Sakura's lungs burned. She had to get to the village and she had to get there fast. Her body was screaming at her, as well as her mind. She wished she could run faster. As she leaped over a fallen tree she felt Naruto's presence disappear. She stopped running. Was the fight over? Was Naruto okay? She closed her eyes and tried to focus on Sasuke. When she found him she realized he was moving away from the village. She turned to run back to the field and froze. Should she go to the village and lose track of Naruto and Sasuke, or should she go after them and hope someone notices their absence?

Sakura looked one way and another before deciding to go after Naruto and Sasuke. She pulled out a kunai and marked the tree. Her boys needed her and she wasn't going to let them down.

--

When Sasuke opened his eyes the first thing he saw was a bloody Naruto. "Fuck." Sasuke looked around angry, he had no idea how he got in this cold, damp room. This was bad, really bad. Even if he managed to escape he had no idea where they were. Sasuke looked at Naruto. Both he and Naruto had their hands chained to the wall so that they were not able to put their hands together. That meant no seals. Sasuke tried to activate his Sharingan but almost passed out. He stopped and that's when he spotted Kisame's sword hanging on the wall above Naruto. That explained it.

"Naruto." Sasuke kicked Naruto with his foot. "Naruto, wake up." Slowly Naruto started to groan and open his eyes. "What happened?"

Naruto sat up a little straighter and groaned. "I woke up as they were bringing us in here. Let's just say things got a violent."

Sasuke opened his mouth to ask more questions but stopped when he heard someone at the door. Kisame walked in first followed by Itachi.

"Nartuo-kun, so glad you're awake."

"How's the lip?" Naruto gave Itachi a cocky smile.

"We must talk."

"I've got nothing to say to you."

"Of course not. It's not always what you know that interests me, but what you do."

Kisame grabbed Sasuke by the hair and held a kunai to his throat. Instinctively, Naruto tried to rush forward but the chains stopped him. Itachi moved over to Naruto and untied the shark skin sword from the wall. He then placed it outside the room. When he returned he crouched down by Naruto.

"Now Naruto, tell me about your wife."

"Go to hell!"

Sasuke hissed when Kisame pressed the blade hard against his throat. He felt the wetness as a small stream of blood ran down his throat. But he wasn't worried. He knew from his training that they needed him alive. Killing him would not help with Naruto's interrogation. They would have to break Sasuke down slowly to get Naruto to break. But already he could see that Naruto needed some encouragement.

"Don't say a word. Don't you dare." The impact it had on Naruto was instant. Sasuke could see the look in his eyes change. Sasuke then looked over at Itachi. Itachi looked at him for a moment and then nodded to Kisame. Kisame rammed the blade into Sasuke's thigh. It burned more then he ever remembered. Maybe it was because he wasn't in the heat of battle where such wounds could easily be ignored. No here, in this situation, there was little to distract you from the pain. But Sasuke knew he could not scream out, so instead he bit his lip. Hard.

"Tell me about Sakura."

"No."

Sasuke noticed that Naruto's voice was more controlled. Then he was almost blinded by pain. Kisame was twisting the blade still in Sasuke's thigh. Sasuke was caught off and couldn't stop the scream as it came out. When Kisame stopped, Sasuke looked at Naruto.

"Don't you break."

Sasuke could tell that Itachi was getting irritated. It was in the subtle movements he made.

"You can break a body but not break the mind. Now if you break a mind the body breaks too. Naruto-kun I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."

Sasuke watched as Itachi kneeled in front of Naruto. He heard Naruto gasp and then start screaming. Instantly Sasuke knew what Itachi was doing. Sasuke pulled back is good leg and tried to kick Itachi with it, but Kisame stepped on his foot.

"I wouldn't do that. He'll get mad." Sasuke struggled to get his foot loose when Naruto slumped over. Slowly Itachi stood up and walked out with Kisame close behind. As Kisame shut the door he smiled at Sasuke. "We'll be back."

Sasuke snarled at him. Once the door was shut he focused his attention on Naruto, who was passed out again. God knows what Itachi made him see, or how long Naruto would be knocked out for. But this was his chance. Itachi was weak, Sasuke could tell by the way he walked. And to top it off they hadn't brought the sword back in. Sasuke needed to get out of the chains and check on Naruto. As he looked down to examine the locks he heard what sounded like fighting going on outside the room. When the door was thrown open Sasuke was shocked to see who walked in.

--

Sakura followed them all night. It had taken all of her training and intelligence to keep track of them. By the time she reached the small shack she had no idea how long they had been inside. The shack looked small, probably one room and a bathroom. But she could tell by the way the light inside moved that there was a lower level. Naruto and Sasuke were probably in the lower level. Sakura pulled out a kunai and marked the tree next to her. She had been marking trees all along the way. She hoped by now someone had noticed she was missing.

Taking a deep breath Sakura tried to calm her nerves and try to figure out some way of getting Naruto and Sasuke out of there.

--

"Sakura?"

"What happened to Naruto?" Sakura moved past Naruto and started working on the locks around Sasuke's wrists.

"Itachi."

As soon she freed one of Sasuke's hands, Sakura got up and moved over to Naruto. Sasuke could finish the job. Sakura pulled out a solider pill, her last one, and gave it to Naruto. Sakura started to pick his locks and remove the chains.

"You shouldn't have come here."

Sakura helped Sasuke pick up Naruto. "You can get mad at me later."

Sasuke followed Sakura out the door and down a long hallway. As they ran down the hallway toward some distant exit he could hear fighting going on down one of the adjacent hallways. Sakura led Sasuke to a trap door in the ceiling. Sasuke climbed up first as Sakura helped him with Naruto. The fighting was getting closer.

"He won't be fooled by clones."

"I know that's why he's not fighting one."

Sasuke froze. Was he really that weak? He turned to Sakura and started to put Naruto down when the clone shut the trap door and locked it.

"Fuck."

Sasuke re-adjusted Naruto on his back and ran outside. He had to hide Naruto somewhere in the nearby woods before he could go back inside and help Sakura. He spotted a large tree with a hiding space large enough for Naruto. He was almost there when the shack exploded. Sasuke had to dodge flying rocks and bits of house with Naruto still on his back. Sasuke put Naruto down right where he was and ran back to where the shack used to be.

Through the dust he spotted Sakura running in his direction.

"I had to get out."

Sasuke grabbed her and almost dragged her to where Naruto was. They had to leave, and they had to leave now. He was injured, she was weak and Naruto was passed out. Both Sakura and Sasuke helped carry the weight of Naruto by throwing one his arms over their necks and hoisting him up by the waist. It took only a few moments to pick him up and they were off.

"They're behind us."

Sasuke heard Sakura grunt a reply. He had to make sure Sakura and Naruto survived. As they leapt from one branch to another he heard Sakura cry out and then Naruto's weight shifted toward her. Sasuke realized Sakura was falling and he couldn't stop Naruto from following her. Thinking fast Sasuke shifted Naruto around so when they hit the ground Sasuke took the blunt of the force.

"Where are you going? I wasn't done with you kunichi."

Sasuke pushed Naruto off. He looked over at Sakura and watched her pull a kunai out of the back of her thigh. She was limping badly as she walked past him and toward Itachi and Kisame. Sasuke stood up and limped his way over to her as well. If they were going to die, they would die fighting.

Leaning close to her ear Sasuke whispered, "Give them hell."

"You too."

Sasuke took in a deep breath. As he exhaled he reached for the pouch on his waist for some shuriken. As his fingers reached the pouch kunai rained on Kisame and Itachi from behind Sasuke. Sasuke turned to look at Naruto. It couldn't have been him since he was still passed out. As soon as the thought was processed he spotted Kakashi and Gai. They ran past Sasuke and toward Itachi and Kisame. Following behind Kakashi and Gai were Neji, Lee and Shikamaru. Neji was picking up Naruto and Lee was helping Sakura walk. Sasuke was about to say something when Shikamaru stopped him.

"We have it under control. Look."

Sasuke turned back around to find Kisame motionless on the ground and Gai in hot pursuit of Kakashi, who was trying to locate Itachi. Itachi was gone. He had taken off as soon as everyone else arrived. He was probably never standing next to Kisame to begin with.

Itachi was gone and no one had killed him. For a small moment Sasuke was glad no one had killed Itachi.

--

**Author Notes:**

So you might be asking yourself why I stopped. After reading the manga I see now that my story is too far off track, and too unlikely to happen. I cannot continue with it. I had great plans for it. This story has been my baby. Granted I have not been updating as often as I liked near the end, but this story has always, and will always, be in the back of my mind. Yes I can make this an AU story, but there has been so much character development in the manga that my version of them seems fake and way off target. I do them no justice by continuing.

(For the record this story was discontinued after the release of manga chapter 486: Fists)

I do have many ideas for the characters and I plan on writing other stories with the ideas I had planned on using in this story.

I do want to say thank you to everyone who has followed this and stuck by me.

_**Thank you and goodnight. **_


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